The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has formally raised concerns with India regarding allegations of racial discrimination against Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam. In a letter dated May 12, 2025, addressed to India’s Ambassador to the UN Office in Geneva, the Committee stated it had received updated information under its early warning and urgent action procedure related to the situation.
According to the information received by the Committee, members of the Bengali-speaking Muslim community in Assam are subjected to racial discrimination based on their descent, ethno-religious and ethnic origin, particularly arbitrary deprivation of citizenship in relation to the National Register of Citizens (NRC) update. The final NRC, published on August 31, 2019, excluded around 1.9 million inhabitants of Assam, with the majority belonging to Bengali-speaking Hindus and Bengali-speaking Muslims.
In another letter, concerns were raised regarding an order issued by India’s National Tiger Conservation Authority in June 2024, which threatens the displacement of approximately 450,000 tribal and forest-dwelling Indigenous people from 54 tiger reserves across 18 Indian states. The Committee expresses worry that this action potentially violates domestic law and international human rights standards, specifically the right to free, prior, and informed consent and the lack of adequate alternative housing and compensation.
The high number of exclusions is reportedly associated with procedural irregularities, incapacity of authorities, and challenges faced by Bengali-speaking Muslims in obtaining required documents, with a disproportionate impact on women and children.
The information indicates that in preparing for the NRC update, the State of Assam classified the population into “original inhabitants” and “non-original inhabitants,” considering members of the Bengali-speaking Muslims as “non-original inhabitants” despite the absence of a clear definition for the former. “Non-original inhabitants” were allegedly subjected to more rigorous standards during the verification process.
Further concerns highlighted include individuals categorised as “doubtful voters” by the Election Commission being unable to challenge this before the Foreigners Tribunal because the Tribunal’s processes were suspended during the NRC update, leading to their de facto exclusion. Those declared “foreigners” and excluded under the NRC process are reportedly not provided with the required “rejection slips” to appeal before the Foreigners Tribunals.
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