Guwahati: According to new findings by India Hate Lab (IHL), Assam has seen a sharp escalation in hate speech, harassment, and state-led violence against Bengali-speaking Muslims since early June 2025. The report links this intensification to a broader campaign allegedly aimed at removing so-called “illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.”
Between July 9 and July 30, IHL documented 18 rallies and protests across 14 districts in Assam. These events, often organized or supported by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders or their supporters, featured inflammatory speeches, open celebrations of forced evictions, and calls for further demolitions of homes and businesses said to belong to “illegal immigrants.” Protestors reportedly carried symbolic bulldozers and referred to the demolitions as patriotic acts.
The IHL report highlights the frequent use of terms like “Bangladeshis,” “encroachers,” “illegal infiltrators,” and “Miyas” to refer to Bengali-speaking Muslims. The term “Miya” is commonly used as a slur. According to the report, members of the targeted community were accused of polluting Hindu areas, consuming beef to provoke locals, and threatening Assamese identity, narratives that were used to justify exclusion and violence.