Hundreds of Muslims gathered outside a mosque in the Berenga area of Assam’s Cachar district on Friday to protest against the recently passed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) legislation, alleging that it unfairly targets the Muslim community.
The protest took place after Friday prayers, with demonstrators raising slogans against the law and demanding its withdrawal.
Former MLA Ataur Rahman Mazarbhuiya was among those present and addressed the gathering, criticising the legislation and describing it as an attack on religious freedom and Assam’s cultural diversity.
Former MLA Alleges UCC Targets Muslims
Speaking to the media, Mazarbhuiya claimed that the UCC was being implemented in an unfair manner and specifically targeted Islam and Muslims.
“The law is being imposed unfairly and is aimed at Muslims,” he alleged, adding that the legislation appeared to be based on the assumption that Muslim personal laws do not adequately protect women’s rights.
He also criticised what he described as unequal treatment under the law, pointing out that Scheduled Tribes had reportedly been exempted from certain provisions of the UCC.
“If some communities are exempted, then how can there be equality under one law?” he asked.
Claims on Polygamy Spark Debate
During his speech, Mazarbhuiya referred to the issue of polygamy and claimed that tribal communities had the highest number of polygamy cases in India, while Muslims had fewer cases than Hindus.
However, these claims could not be independently verified. He cited data from an organisation he referred to as the “Indian Social Society”, though no publicly available report or institution by that name could immediately be traced.
Available data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) shows that polygamy rates vary across religious communities, with Scheduled Tribes recording some of the highest prevalence. According to NFHS-5, Christians reported polygamy at around 2.1 per cent, Muslims at 1.9 per cent and Hindus at 1.3 per cent.
Protesters Cite Constitutional Rights
Mazarbhuiya also said that Muslims had contributed significantly to India’s freedom struggle and stressed that the community would continue peaceful democratic protests to protect constitutional and religious rights.
“We are ready to continue democratic protests to safeguard our religion and the Constitution,” he said.
He argued that freedom of religion is a fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution of India. Article 25 guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practise and propagate religion, subject to public order, morality and health.
Assam Government Defends UCC
The Assam government has maintained that the Uniform Civil Code is intended to bring uniformity in civil matters and strengthen legal protections, especially for women.
The legislation continues to trigger debate across the state, with supporters arguing that it promotes equality before the law, while critics fear it may undermine religious and cultural practices of minority communities.
