Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s statements not only fuel Islamophobic sentiment but also legitimise violence and state-led repression
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC — The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) has expressed grave concern over the dire conditions facing more than 10 million Muslims in the northeastern Indian state of Assam. The plight of these Muslims has been detailed in a recent investigative documentary by Middle East Monitor. The revelations point to an unfolding humanitarian crisis fuelled by discriminatory state policies, systemic persecution, and unchecked hate speech.
According to the findings presented, Muslims in Assam are being systematically targeted through illegal mass arrests, arbitrary demolitions of homes, mosques, and madrasas, and detention in facilities where reports of abuse and mistreatment are widespread. These actions reflect a broader pattern of religious persecution, enabled by the weaponisation of laws to criminalise and marginalise an entire community, an IAMC statement said on Monday.
The crisis has been further exacerbated by inflammatory and dehumanising rhetoric from ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who has repeatedly referred to Muslims as “infiltrators” from Bangladesh and warned of a demographic threat. “Such statements not only fuel Islamophobic sentiment but also legitimise violence and state-led repression,” it said.
The documentary, IAMC pointed out, also highlights the impact of policies such as the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which have rendered countless Muslims stateless and vulnerable to indefinite detention.
Last month, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended that India be designated as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its severe violations of human rights and religious freedoms for the sixth consecutive year. The CPC label is a designation reserved for the world’s worst violators of religious freedom.
USCIRF noted that religious freedom in India continued to deteriorate, highlighting the illegal and dangerous proliferation of anti-minority hate speech by BJP leaders during India’s 2024 general elections, discriminatory laws, punitive demolitions of mosques and places of worship, and attacks by Hindu supremacists on Muslims, Christians, and other vulnerable groups.
“As Islamophobic attacks continue to rise across India, the plight of Assam’s Muslims is a stark reminder of how dangerous state-sponsored bigotry can become,” said Rasheed Ahmed, Executive Director of IAMC. “The international community must pay urgent attention to the systemic erosion of human rights in Assam.”
IAMC has urgently called on the Indian government to halt all discriminatory actions targeting Muslim communities in Assam, ensure accountability for unlawful demolitions and detentions, and uphold the fundamental rights guaranteed to all citizens under India’s Constitution.
IAMC further called on India’s judiciary to intervene decisively to halt these unconstitutional actions, hold state authorities accountable, and safeguard the fundamental rights of all Indian citizens, regardless of faith or background. “The courts must act as a bulwark against state-led persecution and ensure the rule of law is upheld,” it said.
IAMC also urged policymakers, human rights organisations, and global civil society to take urgent notice of the situation and advocate for justice, accountability, and the protection of minority rights.
