Forced evictions, bulldozed homes, and attacks on Muslims in Assam: Report

A Washington-based rights group has warned of a sharp and deeply troubling surge in attacks on Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, highlighting that since the BJP-led government began its campaign targeting the community, there have been at least 18 hate-filled rallies and nine incidents of targeted violence, along with five major eviction drives that displaced thousands and included the demolition of mosques.

In its latest data brief released under the Early Warning, Early Response (EWER) initiative, India Hate Lab (IHL) reported that the campaign has involved not only physical assaults and forced expulsions but also a pattern of political legitimisation, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma playing a central role by promoting arms licensing in Muslim-majority border areas under the pretext of countering threats from “hostile quarters.”

The group noted that this initiative began in five districts with significant Muslim populations, and has coincided with increased public mobilisation around anti-Muslim rhetoric and actions.

Between 9 July and 30 July, IHL recorded 18 rallies across 14 districts, many organised or supported by BJP leaders or affiliates, where participants made inflammatory speeches, celebrated violent evictions, and called for further demolitions of alleged illegal immigrants’ homes.

In several demonstrations, symbolic bulldozers were displayed, portraying demolitions as patriotic acts, while some events featured open incitement against the Bengali-origin Muslim population.

Simultaneously, IHL documented nine specific cases of targeted violence, including in Chapaidang, where Muslim workers were attacked and their homes vandalised following accusations of sheltering evictees.

In Kaliabor, vigilantes from the Assamese nationalist group Bir Lachit Sena blocked Muslim families from settling with relatives, and in Mariani, the same group conducted door-to-door ID checks, demanding documentation be submitted to police within two days.

In Golaghat’s Dergaon area, the Hindu nationalist outfit Sachetan Yuva Mancha forced a landlord to evict Muslim tenants, claiming such actions conformed to the Chief Minister’s vision.

Five major eviction and demolition drives during this period left thousands displaced. In Dhubri, over 1,600 families were removed on 8 July for the Adani Group’s thermal power project, while in Goalpara, more than 1,000 homes and a mosque were razed on 12 July. These actions were followed by police firing on 17 July during protests against the evictions, resulting in one death and multiple injuries.

In Dima Hasao, structures including a mosque were torn down on 26 July under the pretext of clearing forest land, and on 29 July, over 250 homes were destroyed in Uriamghat, where victims alleged that only Muslim houses had been targeted.

India Hate Lab called for an immediate halt to the eviction and demolition drives directed at Bengali-origin Muslim communities, and demanded that due process and rehabilitation be ensured for all displaced persons.