Guwahati, Aug. 7 -- Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has expressed serious concern over what he described as an emerging "pattern" of encroachment through rented houses, warning that such activities pose a threat to the religious and cultural identity of Assamese communities.

Speaking at a recent public gathering, the Chief Minister said,

"If someone rents a house and slaughters a cow there just for consumption, what happens to the nearby temple? Can society accept that? Some people simply do not align with our traditions and culture," said Sarma.

He described what he called a "three-step pattern": first, individuals rent houses; second, they allegedly consume beef in those areas; and third, they begin constructing religious st...