Art, policing and identity — reading between the lines of Amit Shah’s Assam outreach

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday inaugurated the Jyoti–Vishnu International Art Centre in Guwahati along with a series of major security and administrative infrastructure projects, underscoring the Centre and Assam government’s focus on culture, policing and law and order.

Shah also inaugurated the newly constructed Police Commissioner’s Office building, the Integrated Command and Control Centre, and a state-level exhibition showcasing the three new criminal laws. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and several senior officials were present at the event.

Addressing the gathering, Shah said the projects inaugurated in Assam in a single day reflected a broad push covering development, cultural identity and security. He said the new Police Commissioner’s Office, built at a cost of ₹111 crore, was equipped with modern facilities, while the Integrated Command and Control Centre, constructed at ₹178 crore, would help translate the concept of smart policing into reality.

Referring to the exhibition on the new criminal laws, Shah said the legislation aims to ensure time-bound delivery of justice, from trial courts to the Supreme Court, within three years.

Earlier in the day, Shah inaugurated a memorial dedicated to Srimanta Sankardeva in Nagaon. He said the clearing of encroachments from 162 acres of land to construct the memorial symbolised a revival of Assam’s cultural heritage.

In Guwahati, Shah inaugurated the Jyoti–Vishnu Auditorium, built at an estimated cost of ₹291 crore with a seating capacity of around 5,000. Dedicated to cultural icons Jyoti Prasad Agarwala and Bishnu Prasad Rabha, the auditorium forms part of the Jyoti–Vishnu International Art Centre.

Shah recalled Agarwala’s contribution to Assamese culture, noting that he made the state’s first film, Joymoti, and used music, theatre and literature to inspire patriotism during the freedom movement. He said Agarwala’s work helped awaken self-respect among the people of Assam, which later contributed to political movements that shaped the state’s place in independent India.

He also highlighted Bishnu Prasad Rabha’s role in connecting workers, farmers and tribal communities to the freedom struggle through art, literature and music, and in raising awareness against colonial rule, poverty and social inequality.

The Home Minister said Assam had emerged from what he described as a prolonged period marked by violence, bomb blasts, blockades and armed movements. According to him, over the past decade—particularly in the last five years—around 1.29 lakh bighas of land have been cleared of encroachments.

Shah accused previous governments of compromising Assam’s cultural identity for political reasons and said unchecked infiltration posed a threat to the state’s language, music and traditions. He asserted that the current government would continue its efforts against illegal infiltration in the coming years.

He also said peace had largely been restored in Assam through agreements with various armed groups, leading to more than 10,000 youths laying down arms and joining the mainstream. Shah added that large-scale industrial investments, infrastructure projects and tourism development—particularly in Kaziranga—were now gaining momentum. He also referred to recent efforts to commemorate historical figures such as Lachit Borphukan and to build a proper memorial for the martyrs of the Assam Movement.

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