By Kimi Colney
Guwahati: According to new findings by India Hate Lab (IHL), Assam has seen a sharp escalation in hate speech, harassment, and state-led violence against Bengali-speaking Muslims since early June 2025. The report links this intensification to a broader campaign allegedly aimed at removing so-called “illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.”
Between July 9 and July 30, IHL documented 18 rallies and protests across 14 districts in Assam. These events, often organized or supported by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders or their supporters, featured inflammatory speeches, open celebrations of forced evictions, and calls for further demolitions of homes and businesses said to belong to “illegal immigrants.” Protestors reportedly carried symbolic bulldozers and referred to the demolitions as patriotic acts.
The IHL report highlights the frequent use of terms like “Bangladeshis,” “encroachers,” “illegal infiltrators,” and “Miyas” to refer to Bengali-speaking Muslims. The term “Miya” is commonly used as a slur. According to the report, members of the targeted community were accused of polluting Hindu areas, consuming beef to provoke locals, and threatening Assamese identity, narratives that were used to justify exclusion and violence.
Many of these rallies, assaults, and evictions were broadcast live on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and X, further amplifying the campaign. India Hate Lab noted that these platforms failed to act on content that clearly violated hate speech and incitement policies.
The IHL report identifies Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma as a central figure in this campaign. In a May 28 press briefing, Sarma announced a plan to issue arms licenses to indigenous residents of vulnerable areas, particularly along the Bangladesh border. On June 9, Sarma publicly alleged that Muslims had “weaponized” beef consumption and the call to prayer to drive out Hindus. Later, at a state event in Darrang on July 21, Sarma referred to Bengali-speaking Muslims as “suspected Bangladeshis” and suggested that the current volatile situation was necessary for Assamese survival.
Local organizations such as the Bir Lachit Sena reportedly echoed these sentiments. According to IHL, its leader Shrinkhal Chaliha stated that if police failed to conduct evictions, his group would do it themselves.
India Hate Lab claims the campaign is not only led by the state and Hindu nationalist groups but is also enabled by local ethnonationalist organizations. Critics cited by IHL suggest that this campaign may be a political distraction from the ongoing ‘Gir Cow Scam,’ a corruption scandal linked to the Gorukhuti Bahumukhi Krishi Prakalpa, which allegedly involves BJP ministers and has sparked protests. Assam is due for assembly elections in 2026.
The report also records nine incidents of targeted violence and harassment between July 19 and July 30. These include physical assaults, forced ID checks, evictions from rental homes, and intimidation. In one case, in Chapaidang, Muslim workers were attacked and their homes vandalized after being accused of harboring evictees. In Mariani, members of Bir Lachit Sena reportedly went door to door checking IDs of Bengali-speaking Muslims and demanded they report to the police within two days.
This story was originally published in eastmojo.com. Read the full story here.