5 August 2024: In a move of far-reaching importance, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced stringent new laws targeting religious conversions and land transactions between Hindus and Muslims. The announcement was made during a BJP state executive meeting in Guwahati on Sunday, reported the Times of India.
Sarma revealed that the proposed legislation would make religious conversions punishable by life imprisonment, specifically addressing concerns over “love jihad”—a term used by Hindu right-wing groups to allege that Muslim men manipulate Hindu women into converting to Islam through ‘romantic’ relationships. Similar laws already exist in states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
Additionally, Sarma announced plans to regulate land transactions between Hindus and Muslims, requiring the chief minister’s consent for such dealings. He expressed concern over land transfers to Muslims, particularly in Lower Assam’s Goalpara region, claiming these have marginalized the indigenous Koch Rajbongshi community. The proposed law aims to protect the land rights of tribal, Scheduled Caste (SC), and Other Backward Class (OBC) populations by restricting land sales to certain communities.
The Chief Minister also mentioned plans to limit land transactions in culturally significant regions like Barpeta, Majuli, and Batadrava to native Assamese people. Furthermore, the state government is developing a “domicile policy” to reserve government job opportunities exclusively for individuals born in Assam, underscoring the government’s commitment to prioritizing indigenous youth in employment. These measures, according to Sarma, are part of the government’s efforts to protect the rights of indigenous people and fulfill election promises made in 2021.
