Evictions and expulsions of Muslims to Bangladesh precede Indian state elections

In northeastern India’s Assam state, entire Muslim communities are being uprooted as part of a wave of evictions that many critics say is politically motivated ahead of upcoming state elections. 

Beneath a patchwork of blue tarpaulins, hundreds of displaced families—men, women, and children—now live in makeshift camps after their homes were bulldozed in recent weeks.
Officials say the demolitions targeted “illegal encroachers” living on government land. However, many residents insist they are Indian citizens who have lived in Assam for generations. “The government repeatedly harasses us,” said 53-year-old Aran Ali, standing on the bare, sun-baked earth that now serves as home for his family. “We are accused of being foreigners, even though we were born here.”
Assam, sharing 262 kilometers of border with Bangladesh, has long been a flashpoint for anti-immigrant sentiment. Successive governments have expressed fears that migration—both Hindu and Muslim—from Bangladesh threatens Assam’s cultural identity and fragile economy. But rights activists say the latest campaign is unprecedented in scale and is disproportionately targeting Muslims.
The crackdown comes under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who has made aggressive rhetoric against “Muslim infiltrators” central to his political messaging. “Unchecked Muslim migration from across the border has caused a dangerous demographic shift,” Sarma declared recently on X (formerly Twitter), warning that Hindus risk becoming minorities in several districts. He cited the 2011 census, claiming Muslims already make up 30% of Assam’s 31 million population and predicting it could approach 50% “in a few years.”
Since Sarma took office in May 2021, over 50,000 people—mostly Bengali-origin Muslims—have been evicted from 160 square kilometers of land, with more removals planned. The policy coincides with broader BJP initiatives that critics say are aimed at reshaping India’s religious demography, including the 2019 amendment to the Citizenship Act, which fast-tracks naturalization for non-Muslim migrants from neighboring countries while excluding Muslims.
Tensions escalated further after a deadly attack in April on Hindu tourists in Kashmir, blamed on militants from Muslim-majority Pakistan, an allegation Islamabad denies. In its wake, several BJP-ruled states, including Assam, intensified crackdowns on Bengali Muslim communities, labeling them “illegal immigrants” and potential security threats.
The evictions have already sparked violent protests, with one incident leaving a teenager dead. Rights groups and opposition parties accuse the BJP of weaponizing religion to polarize voters and cement support ahead of elections. “This is not about land, it is about votes,” said an opposition leader in Guwahati. “Entire families are being rendered homeless for political gain.”
Human rights observers warn that the campaign is deepening communal divides and pushing thousands of already impoverished families into further destitution, with no clear rehabilitation plan in place. International watchdogs have also raised concerns, saying the policy risks creating a stateless underclass and undermines India’s democratic commitments.