Washington-based advocacy and research group India Hate Lab on Thursday released a new data brief under its Early Warning, Early Response (EWER) initiative on “sharp and deeply concerning” escalation in hate speech, targeted harassment and violence against Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam state.
Between July 9 and July 30, India Hate Lab (IHL) has documented 18 rallies and protests across 14 districts in Assam. These events, many organised or supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders or supporters, featured hate-filled speeches, celebrations of violent evictions, and calls for further demolitions of alleged “illegal Bangladeshi immigrants” homes and businesses. In many instances, demonstrators carried symbolic bulldozers, glorifying state violence as a patriotic act.
India Hate Lab also documented nine cases of targeted violence and harassment between July 19 and July 30. In Chapaidang, Muslim workers were physically attacked and their homes vandalised after being accused of harbouring evictees.