Oppn slams Assam govt over vigilante drives against Bengali Muslims in Assam

Opposition parties in Assam have criticised the state government for what they describe as a failure to uphold law and order in Upper Assam. They pointed to a policy allowing “indigenous” residents to carry arms in areas where they are a “minority,” along with reports of vigilante activities by Assamese nationalist organisations in Sivasagar and surrounding towns.

Former Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Ripun Bora alleged on Thursday that law and order in the state had completely broken down, accusing the administration of ignoring a surge in violence and intimidation.

Reports indicate that several Assamese nationalist groups — including the All Tai Ahom Students Union, Jatiya Sangrami Sena, and Bir Lachit Sena — have been carrying out campaigns in various Upper Assam towns, targeting Bengali Muslims living and working there, branding them as “suspected Bangladesis.”

The trend has been particularly evident in Sivasagar, where videos circulating online reportedly show vigilantes entering rented homes and telling occupants to “leave Upper Assam.” The groups involved refer to their campaign as the “miya kheda andolan,” a movement aimed at expelling “miyas,” a derogatory term used for Bengali-origin Muslims.

This drive in Upper Assam follows state-led eviction operations in Dhubri, Goalpara, Lakhimpur, and Golaghat districts, where thousands of people — mostly Bengali-speaking Muslims — were displaced.

The campaign is unfolding alongside a wave of large-scale evictions across Assam, most recently in Golaghat district, and is occurring in the context of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s repeated statements about the need to “stem the demographic invasion” of Upper Assam by “people of one religion.”

“This is a total failure of the state’s law-and-order machinery. Right under the government’s nose, people are attacking houses, indulging in mob violence, and forcibly collecting donations. These are all antisocial activities, yet the government remains silent. Why is no action being taken? This inaction clearly reflects the government’s failure,” Bora said, Maktoob Media reported.

The Opposition has strongly criticised Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s comments, especially his recent response to a reporter’s question about whether the Sivasagar “campaign” was happening with his support. Sarma had stated that it “has to happen with my patronage,” adding that people should live in the areas where they “ought to stay.”

Congress leader Ripun Bora accused the chief minister of encouraging mob violence in Sivasagar, pointing out that the Constitution guarantees all citizens the right to live and work anywhere in India.

He noted that some Muslim residents from Lower Assam are employed in Upper Assam, just as many Assamese youths work in other states, yet certain groups are branding these individuals as “miyas” and giving them 48-hour deadlines to leave the region.

Bora also mentioned that the government plans to launch an online portal allowing “indigenous people” who believe their lives are in danger in sensitive areas to apply for arms licences.

Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi cautioned that the situation could escalate dangerously at any time. In a letter to Rantu Panifukon, Chief Secretary of the Bir Lachit Sena, Gogoi alleged that the recent activities of the group’s wing, “Shringkhal,” in Sivasagar were deliberately provocative and intended to incite communal tension — the kind of incidents he claimed the BJP and RSS sought to exploit.

He added that if the group genuinely wanted to remove illegal immigrants, they should work with the police and administration by identifying residences or locations, allowing authorities to carry out any eviction lawfully.

Instead, he warned that communal harmony will be destroyed if members of the organisation go from house to house searching for ‘foreigners’.

Gogoi clarified that his party fully supports the removal of foreigners from Assam and wants the process carried out decisively. However, he argued that the BJP’s communal approach, including passing a law to grant citizenship to Hindu Bangladeshis, makes a genuine solution impossible. He noted that despite being in power for nine years, the BJP had not expelled a single foreigner.

He questioned why the NRC process had not been completed to identify foreigners and asked what the government was doing if it truly believed there were one crore foreigners in the state.

Gogoi cautioned that assuming the eviction of a few Muslim households before the 2026 elections would solve the problem was either naïve or an act of political manipulation, describing such evictions as a tactic for Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s vote-bank politics.

He called on the organisation to adopt a proper national strategy to address the issue and to rein in Shringkhal’s communal and provocative behaviour.

Meanwhile, a delegation from the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), led by MLA and party general secretary (administration) Hafiz Basir Ahmed Kasimi, met the Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) and submitted a letter to Assam DGP Harmeet Singh.

The letter urged immediate intervention against alleged threats and harassment targeting Miya Muslims in Upper Assam.

The AIUDF stated that alarming incidents were being reported in which certain groups were threatening bona fide Indian citizens — mostly Miya Muslims — by forcibly entering rented homes, falsely accusing residents of being foreigners, and pressuring landlords to evict them. These groups were issuing ultimatums to force people out, spreading fear, insecurity, and communal tension.

Describing the actions as illegal, unconstitutional, and a grave threat to law and order, the party said such harassment violated fundamental rights and undermined the country’s secular fabric, demanding strict action against those responsible.