By Juri Baruah
In recent years, a growing trend among social media influencers in Assam has been the consistent production of narratives framed around the idea that khilanjia Axomiya (indigenous Assamese people) in Upper Assam are in danger. These narratives, circulated widely on platforms like Instagram and Facebook, are strategically crafted to amplify digital hate and reinforce communal fault lines.
This online hate campaign is seemingly premised on one of the most significant offline flashpoints: Sivasagar district, where vigilant movements to detect so-called encroachers have grown in the last few years. This district, however, carries far deeper historical and cultural meaning. Known as the political heart of the Ahom dynasty, Sivasagar has long stood as a mosaic of harmony, solidarity, and peace among diverse ethnic and religious communities, a legacy that stretches back to the colonial period. Precisely because of this history, Sivasagar has become a symbolic battleground for the ruling BJP’s efforts to entrench Hindutva ideology in Upper Assam.
By constructing a narrative that links “illegal Bangladeshis” to the decline of khilanjia Axomiya, the ruling party seems to have attempted to sustain a constant climate of insecurity. Yet in Sivasagar, this agenda has faced resistance. The district’s deep traditions of fraternity and coexistence have prevented hate politics. This resistance was strongly reaffirmed during a citizens’ meeting organised by Yuva Dol on August 8, 2025. The gathering declared that Sivasagar’s soil cannot nurture divisive slogans. Its resolution appealed to all communities — irrespective of ethnicity, caste, creed, or religion — to uphold peace and harmony in the face of a deliberately misleading and provocative political climate. Importantly, the meeting also demanded the full implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord — it ensured constitutional safeguards to promote, protect and preserve the cultural, social and linguistic identity and heritage of Assamese people — and the enforcement of the Inner Line Permit, while stressing unity as the essence of democracy.
The inability to turn Sivasagar into a hotspot of communal violence has led to a strategic shift: The battle is now being waged online. Influencers have increasingly become vehicles for Hindutva ideology, producing content that narrates an existential risk for khilanjia Axomiya. These narratives project fears of losing land, language, and future generations, while framing the Muslim minority as “invaders.”
Content creators in Assam are increasingly delivering the message that it is time to unite, otherwise it may be too late to preserve their existence. The rhetoric of jati, mati, bheti (identity, land, homestead) is repeatedly invoked, accompanied by evocative imagery of paddy fields, the heritage sites of Sivasagar, the one-horned rhinoceros of Kaziranga National Park, and the satras and mask-making traditions of Majuli. These symbols are projected as markers of Assam’s uniqueness. Influencers warn that if such cultural and natural assets fall into the hands of “encroachers,” Assam’s distinctiveness itself will be under threat.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.
