Nahid Islam Condemns Demolition of Over 1,100 Bengali Muslim Homes in Assam: 'India Has Utterly Failed to Protect Its Minorities'
Nahid Islam, convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and chief whip of the opposition, has strongly condemned the demolition of more than 1,100 Bengali Muslim homes in India's Assam. He said that under Hindutva fascism, India has completely failed to protect its minority communities.
He made the remarks in a statement on Wednesday night (21 October). Expressing deep concern over the eviction drive in Assam, he called on the international community to immediately take note of what he described as the planned persecution of Muslims by the Indian authorities.
Nahid Islam said the authorities in Assam had demolished the homes of more than 1,100 Bengali Muslims. More than ten mosques were also reportedly destroyed during the drive, some of which had stood for over fifty years.
In the statement, he said the authorities were trying to justify the actions as a process of evicting so-called encroachers from government and forest land. But according to Indian media reports, many of the affected families have deep, long-standing ties to the area and had been living on the land since long before India's independence.
He added that instead of arranging proper rehabilitation and resettlement, the authorities had pushed many families into displacement and helplessness. Some families were reportedly even placed in detention centres.
According to Nahid, the latest drive is part of a worrying pattern of discrimination and persecution against Bengali Muslims in India, driven mainly by Hindutva politics. Around 19,000 families have been displaced over the past decade, he noted in the statement.
The statement said Bengali Muslims in India have long faced repression, forced expulsion and the removal of names from voter lists. In Nahid's words, these events indicate that the current government is implementing a planned agenda against the Muslim minority, threatening their rights and security.
He also recalled the demolition of the historic Babri Mosque in 1992, which he said remains a lasting symbol of religious intolerance and communal division.
"Under Hindutva fascism, India has utterly failed to protect its minority communities, which include Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and lower-caste Hindus," Nahid Islam said, urging the international community to take immediate note of the planned persecution of Muslims by the Indian authorities.
He added that the Indian government must be held accountable for these grave human rights violations and interference with religious freedom. Upholding justice and equality for every Indian citizen, regardless of ethnicity, religion or cultural identity, is their responsibility. In his words, "India's Muslims are also Indians."
The eviction drive in Assam has drawn reactions in Bangladesh's political arena before, and this strong statement from the NCP's top leader adds a new dimension to that debate. Attention now turns to how the international community responds to the call and whether India issues any reply.
