Banamallika Choudhury

In July 2019, a police report was filed against Choudhury and other “Miya” (Bengali-language Muslim) poets after the online publication of a poem by Hafiz Ahmed that authorities claimed promoted sectarian enmity in Assam. On July 17, 2019, all ten poets were granted anticipatory bail. Though the case did not proceed to trial, it drew widespread criticism as an attempt to silence minority voices and suppress creative expression. Choudhury, as an advocate for women’s rights and ethnic equality, has continued to face surveillance and threats linked to her activism in Assam.