Assam CM urges ‘our people’ not to give shelter to evicted Muslims
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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has appealed to the state’s residents not to offer refuge to individuals displaced by the recent eviction operations, according to a PTI report.
He argued that giving shelter to those evicted could reverse the progress made through the drives, claiming it would undermine the improved conditions for “our people.”
Since June 16, Assam has witnessed seven large-scale eviction campaigns, displacing approximately 5,300 families—primarily Bengali-origin Muslims. Many among them are now living without permanent shelter, surviving in roadside tents made of tarpaulin and plastic sheets.
In the wake of the evictions, several affected individuals have accused the state of religious and ethnic bias, alleging that the campaign disproportionately targeted Muslims, Scroll.in reported.
असम में तथाकथित अल्पसंख्यक हमारे मूलनिवासियों पर अत्याचार कर रहे हैं, और Love Jihad तथा Land Jihad जैसी प्रक्रियाएँ चला रहे हैं।
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) August 4, 2025
परेशान हमें होना चाहिए, लेकिन शोर वे मचा रहे हैं। pic.twitter.com/6rKpfO1Ksj
Speaking on Monday, the BJP leader stated that those removed for encroaching on public land were free to return to their original locations, and the government would not interfere in such cases.
“Our people should not give them shelter. Otherwise, our position, which has become little good through evictions and other steps, will become bad again.”
Sarma claimed on Monday that the suspected encroachers were responsible for a number of problems in the state. He claimed that they were planting betel nut trees and developing fisheries in wooded areas.
“Who is doing ‘love jihad’?” Sarma asked. “It is happening on us. Who has done ‘land jihad’? It is happening on us. We are the ones who should cry but they are shedding tears.”
Love jihad is a Hindutva conspiracy theory that alleges Muslim men pose as Hindus in order to seduce Hindu women into relationships with the goal of converting them to Islam. "Land jihad" is another Hindutva conspiracy theory in which Muslims illegally build structures on public property. According to PTI, Sarma stated on Monday that around 29 lakh bighas, or more than 9.5 lakh acres, of land in Assam have been encroached upon. He had previously stated that encroachments had been cleared from 1.29 lakh bighas, or more than 42,500 acres, of land over the last four years. He said that "illegal Bangladeshis and doubtful citizens" were in possession of these plots of land.
