NCP condemns eviction of Bengali Muslims in Assam

National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener and Opposition Chief Whip Md Nahid Islam has condemned the demolition of homes belonging to more than 1,100 Bengali Muslims in India’s Assam state, calling on the international community to respond to what he described as systematic persecution of the Muslim minority.

In a statement issued on Wednesday night, Nahid expressed deep concern over the eviction drives, which reportedly also saw the demolition of more than 10 mosques, some of which had stood for over 50 years.

He accused Indian authorities of pursuing discriminatory policies under the influence of Hindutva politics, saying the state had failed to protect religious and ethnic minorities, including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and lower-caste Hindus.

Indian authorities have justified the evictions as efforts to remove alleged encroachers from government and forest lands. However, Indian media reports indicate that many affected families have longstanding ties to the region, with some having lived there since before India’s independence.

Nahid alleged that the authorities had left many families displaced and destitute instead of ensuring their rehabilitation and resettlement. Reports that some affected families had been placed in detention centres have further raised concerns over their treatment.

He also pointed to what he described as a broader pattern of displacement, forced evictions and the removal of Bengali Muslims’ names from electoral rolls, claiming that nearly 19,000 families had been displaced over the past decade.

Warning that such measures threatened fundamental rights, security and religious freedom, Nahid drew a parallel with the demolition of the historic Babri Masjid in 1992, describing it as a lasting symbol of religious intolerance and communal division.

He called on the Indian government to be held accountable for alleged human rights violations and urged it to uphold justice and equality regardless of citizens’ religion, ethnicity or cultural identity.

“Muslims in India are, after all, Indians too,” he said, urging the international community to take notice of the reported persecution and displacement of Bengali Muslims.