Following the Pahalgam terror attack, 27 persons have been arrested in Assam for “defending Pakistan on Indian soil”, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday.

In a social media post, the chief minister called those who had been arrested “anti nationals” and “traitors”.

Among those held was Opposition All India United Democratic Front MLA Aminul Islam, who was arrested on Thursday for allegedly defending the terror attack. He was charged with sedition. His remarks, which were widely shared online, had the “potential to create an adverse situation”, the police alleged.

Justifying Islam’s arrest, Sarma was quoted as saying on Saturday that he “will do this again”.

“I will take any action against such people,” he added.

Sarma had also said that anybody in Assam found to be “directly or indirectly” supporting Pakistan would be charged under the National Security Act.

The Act allows for long periods of detention without trial and suspends important rights of the accused person, including the right to legal representation and immediate information about the cause of the arrest.

In Uttar Pradesh, the police also booked satirist Madri Kakoti and a Bhojpuri singer Neha Singh Rathore on charges of sedition for making remarks on social media about the April 22 terrorist attack that it alleged were objectionable.

The terror attack at Baisaran near Pahalgam town on April 22 left 26 persons dead and 17 injured. The terrorists targeted tourists after asking their names to ascertain their religion, the police said. All but three of those killed were Hindu.