Systematic Harassment and Mob Violence: India’s Assam Muslims Under Siege

Just two days before the Assam Legislative Assembly elections, minority Muslims in the state have once again fallen victim to brutal mob violence. In the Nagaon district, three Muslims were killed in a savage attack by a frenzied crowd, while a fourth person remains critically injured. Analysts say the incident highlights the growing insecurity and systematic harassment faced by Muslims under the governance of Himanta Biswa Sharma, a right-wing Hindu nationalist chief minister.

The attack took place in 1 No. Kathpara village under Rupohi Hat police station in Kaliabar Co-District. According to Nagaon’s Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime), Abotani Dol, at around 2 a.m., a group of 10–12 armed men entered a home, restrained the family, and held a six-year-old girl at knife-point while looting cash and gold jewelry.

When the family’s cries for help drew neighbors, the enraged mob chased and captured four of the suspected attackers, beating them before police arrived.

Two Muslims died on the spot, while the third succumbed to injuries at Nagaon Medical College Hospital. The fourth victim remains in critical condition. The deceased have been identified as Saifullah, Azibur alias Khairul, and Enamul Haque, all members of the Muslim community. The identity of the fourth injured person has not yet been confirmed.

Nagaon: A History of Violence Against Muslims

This is not the first instance of Muslims being beaten to death in Nagaon district. Similar attacks occurred in 2017 in Nagaon and 2023 in Morigaon, often under suspicions of cow theft or petty crimes. Notably, Nagaon also witnessed the infamous 1983 Nellie massacre, where thousands of Bengali Muslims were massacred, a tragedy for which justice has yet to be delivered..

Observers stress that these attacks are not isolated incidents. Rather, they are the outcome of decades of state-backed dehumanization of Muslims in Assam.

Since Himanta Biswa Sharma assumed power in 2021, state oppression of minority Muslims has escalated. The chief minister himself has publicly threatened to “break the waist of ‘Miyas’ (Bengali-origin Muslims)”. In February 2026, the official Assam BJP Twitter handle shared an incendiary video showing him symbolically shooting at images of Muslims with a rifle, captioned “Point Blank Shot” and “No Mercy”—an act human rights organizations worldwide have condemned as incitement to genocide.

Mass Evictions Under the Pretext of Clearance Operations

Between 2021 and early 2026, Assam witnessed a massive eviction drive, with government data indicating over 22,000 structures demolished. More than 20,000 Muslim families were displaced from their ancestral homes.

In January 2026 alone, 1,200 homes were bulldozed in Sonitpur, and in February, 516 houses in Hailakandi were destroyed.

Such brutal killings and state discrimination ahead of elections have created deep fear and insecurity among Assam’s Muslim population, with political analysts suggesting that communal polarization is being used as a tool to influence voters in the upcoming elections.