A disturbing new report by Washington-based research group India Hate Lab has highlighted a sharp rise in hate speech, harassment, and violence against Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam. Released under the organization’s Early Warning, Early Response (EWER) initiative, the data brief accuses the state government, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, of actively legitimising these actions.
The report specifically points to Sarma’s May announcement of a scheme to issue arms licenses to “indigenous residents” in remote areas along the Bangladesh border. Five Muslim-majority districts were named as priority zones, with the Chief Minister claiming the move was intended to “tackle unlawful threats from hostile quarters.”
Between July 9 and July 30, India Hate Lab documented 18 rallies across 14 districts in Assam. Many of these events were either organised or supported by BJP leaders and supporters and featured incendiary speeches, open celebrations of violent evictions, and calls for further demolitions. Protesters frequently carried symbolic bulldozers, glorifying the destruction of alleged “illegal Bangladeshi immigrant” homes as acts of patriotism.
The group also recorded nine incidents of targeted violence and intimidation during the same period. In Chapaidang, Muslim workers were assaulted and their homes vandalised over accusations of aiding displaced individuals. In Kaliabor, members of the ethno-nationalist Bir Lachit Sena blocked Muslim families from seeking refuge with relatives. In Mariani, the same group carried out door-to-door ID checks among Bengali-speaking Muslims, demanding they present documents to the police within 48 hours. In Dergaon, Golaghat district, Hindu nationalist group Sachetan Yuva Mancha forced a landlord to evict Muslim tenants, claiming it aligned with Sarma’s vision.
The report further highlights five major demolition drives in July alone, which displaced thousands of Bengali-origin Muslim families. On July 8, over 1,600 families were evicted in Dhubri to facilitate Adani Group’s thermal power project. In Goalpara, more than 1,000 homes and a mosque were demolished on July 12. When residents protested, police opened fire on July 17, resulting in one death and multiple injuries. On July 26, authorities in Dima Hasao razed several structures, including a mosque, citing forest clearance. Most recently, on July 29 in Uriamghat, over 250 homes were demolished, with Muslim residents alleging selective targeting of their community.
India Hate Lab has urged the Assam government to halt all eviction drives targeting Bengali-origin Muslims, ensure fair rehabilitation of the displaced, and hold accountable all political and administrative figures inciting communal tensions. The group has also called for effective policing to protect vulnerable minorities from vigilante outfits like Bir Lachit Sena and Sachetan Yuva Mancha.
