# Ashraful Hussain

Ashraful Hussain (born 10 January 1994) is an Indian politician currently serving as a member of the Assam Legislative Assembly representing the All India United Democratic Front from the Chenga Assembly constituency in the 2021 Assam Legislative Assembly.
He is the youngest Member of the Legislative Assembly (India) of Assam Legislative Assembly (2021), aged 27, hailing from Chenga (Vidhan Sabha Constituency) of lower Assam. He has contested from All India United Democratic Front ticket and was elected with a margin greater than 50,000 votes. He graduated from the Indira Gandhi National Open University with a bachelor's degree in social work (BSW). He was a journalist in various news organizations like Pratidin Time. He was a member of the campaign called Karwan-e-Mohabbat. He was also a member of Sambidhan Sevak. He fought for the land rights of the displaced people from the flood erosion of the Brahmaputra River. He was involved in various relief programs in a seasonal flood of Assam and during the COVID-19 lockdown in India.

## Early life and education

Hussain was born in a Muslim family in Haripur village, Barpeta. He comes from a family without any political background. He passed his High School Leaving Certificate examinations from Tarabari Higher Secondary School. His senior secondary school was Ratnadip Junior College. Hussain then earned a diploma in Jr. Engineering from CIPET, Guwahati. Later on, he graduated from Indira Gandhi National Open University with bachelor's in social work.

## Social work and activism

From 2014 to 2016, Hussin was employed in the corporate sector in Pune. He then returned to Assam and started solving the problems of citizenship crisis, land pattas, poverty, flood erosion, etc. He also did freelance journalism for news organizations in the state.
Hussain worked as a journalist and reported the killing of 40 children and women by Militants on an island of Baksa district. In 2017, he started traveling across the country with his colleagues and visited the homes of people bereaved by mob lynching and hate violence. The campaign was called the Karwan-e-Mohabbat or Caravan of Love. The journey of the Karwan began in Assam in 2017, in a small village of Nagaon in which two young boys were killed by mob lynching. He then travelled to Jharkhand, Delhi, Mewat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Karnataka. The Karwan continued its journeys for three years, until the COVID-19 lockdown in India.
Hussain was a member of Sambidhan Sevak, an initiative started by social worker and author Harsh Mander to spread awareness about the Indian constitution among the people in lower Assam. During the 2019 floods, Ashraful and members of the Sambidhan Sevak worked to distribute relief in many villages in the Barpeta district. He also joined Satra Mukti Sangram Samiti (SMSS).
When the process of the National Register of Citizens began in Assam by order of the Supreme Court, Hussain helped illiterate people file National Register of Citizens forms and assisted them in travelling long distances at the time of the hearing. They called themselves Samvidhan Saathis or Friends of the Constitution.

## Assam Election 2021

In the 2021 Assam Legislative Assembly election, Ashraful's party AIUDF allied themselves with Congress, Bodoland People's Front (BPF) and CPI-M named Mahajut. Mahajut lost against Mitrojut of BJP.
Hussain won against the incumbent Sukur Ali Ahmed, who was a four times elected legislator of Chenga and had served as a minister in the Tarun Gogoi led state government. Sukur Ali of Indian National Congress (INC) got 23357 votes and Rabiul Hussain of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) got 23373 votes. Ashraful Hussain got 75312 votes and won with a margin of 51939 votes. He secured 58.83% of the votes and became the youngest legislator of Assam Legislative Assembly 2021.

## Charges

Hussain has faced significant legal challenges, primarily stemming from his activism and poetry, which have been perceived as provocative by some authorities. Based on his self-declared affidavit during the 2021 election, available through public records on MyNeta.info, he has been charged with multiple criminal offenses:
* Promoting Enmity Between Groups (IPC Section 153A): 3 charges related to promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and acts prejudicial to maintaining harmony. These charges likely stem from his poetry, which addressed the struggles of the Bengali Muslim community during the NRC process, seen by some as divisive.
* Outraging Religious Feelings (IPC Section 295A): 1 charge for deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings by insulting a religion or religious beliefs, possibly linked to the content of his poetry.
* Criminal Intimidation (IPC Section 506): 1 charge for punishment for criminal intimidation, indicating allegations of threats or intimidation.
* Criminal Conspiracy (IPC Section 120B): 2 charges related to criminal conspiracy, suggesting coordinated actions that authorities deemed unlawful.
* Acts Done by Several Persons (IPC Section 34): 2 charges for acts done by several persons in furtherance of a common intention, implying involvement with others in alleged illegal activities.
* Defamation (IPC Sections 500 and 501): 1 charge each for punishment for defamation and printing/engraving defamatory matter, likely related to his public statements or writings.
* Intentional Insult (IPC Section 504): 1 charge for intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace.
* Disobedience to Public Order (IPC Section 188): 1 charge for disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant.
* Obscene Acts and Songs (IPC Section 294): 1 charge related to obscene acts or songs, possibly tied to his poetry or public expressions.
* Assault or Criminal Force (IPC Section 352): 1 charge for assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation.
In addition to these charges, Hussain faced legal repercussions for his poetry in 2019, when an FIR was filed against him for sedition due to a protest poem, as reported by The Quint in April 2021. He was granted bail by the High Court but remained on bail during his 2021 campaign. In 2023, a more serious accusation emerged: according to HinduPost, a girl filed a case at Dispur police station in Guwahati, alleging that Hussain’s associate, Ritul Hussain, abducted her from Barpeta, brought her to Hussain’s MLA quarters in Guwahati, and subjected her to physical and mental abuse. She claimed she was forced to sign a marriage contract, and her father accused Hussain of being the mastermind behind the kidnapping. Hussain denied the allegations, calling them baseless and claiming the incident stemmed from a love affair, while announcing plans to file a defamation suit against the family.

## Personal life

On 27 May 2021, Ashraful Hussain married Rehna Sultana, an assistant professor at Sibsagar Girls' College.