Assam: From gangrape to village attacks, 26 incidents of Islamist terror targeting Hindus post-Lok Sabha polls

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on August 23 said that after the Lok Sabha  Elections 2024, a section of the society is repeatedly attacking the indigenous people in Assam. He said the miscreants assaulted 23 Assamese women in the past three months.

Organiser brings the 26 incidents of attack on the Assamese Hindu community by Islamists in the last 3-4 months.

Extremist Islamists have terrorised Assam following the Lok Sabha election in 2024. Over the past four months, there have been several instances of rape, gang rape, land grabs, attacks on police, love jihad, and other crimes in various districts of Assam.

1. On May 3, 2024, in Tangabari village, under the jurisdiction of the Goalpara district’s Dudhnoi police station, Islamists kidnapped and gang-raped a young Hindu girl. Islamists attacked the townspeople and family members who went to arrest them. The girl’s brother, Dhananjay Khaklari, passed away. Dhan Ali Talukder was detained along with other Islamists who were accused.
2. On May 14, 2024, a group of Islamists under the leadership of Jaohar Khan ambushed Hindu residents in the Barpeta district’s Kayakuchi neighbourhood. There were numerous injuries among Hindus.
3. Islamists assaulted the Khelmati Police Station in the Lakhimpur district on May 23, 2024.
4. On June 7, 2024, a Hindu village in the Kokrajhar district’s Fakiragram was assaulted by Muslims. Hindu locals opposed the Islamic land mafia group. Thus, the Hindu village was attacked by Islamists.
5. A Hindu woman was gang-raped in Majbat on June 22, 2024. Police detained Saddam Ali, Ehsan Ahmed, Hafizul Ali, Mohidul Islam, and Mushtaq Ahmed.
6. June 24, 2024: In Dhekiajuli, a young girl from the Janajatia community was kidnapped and sexually assaulted. Police took Shahidul Islam into custody.
7. An Islamist attack on a Hindu community in Golakganj occurred on June 26, 2024. Islamists threatened the Hindu inhabitants to leave the village.
8. On June 27, 2024, in the Sonitpur district’s Thelamara neighbourhood, a young Hindu girl was sexually assaulted. Arrested by the Police was Anarul Khan.
9. On June 28, Late at night, a young Muslim man attempted to break into the LAKD College girls’ dorm in Dhekiajuli.
10. On June 29, 2024, a young Hindu girl was abducted by Islamist Abul Kalam in Baihata’s Vomolhati neighbourhood. Abul Kalam attempted to rape her. Locals saved her.
11. On June 29, Nais Ali falsely imprisoned a Hindu girl with a Hindu name. Nais Ali trapped the girl while hiding his identity. His arrest occurred in the Hugrajuli region.
12. Islamists stormed a Hindu cemetery in the Sarvog neighbourhood of the Bareta district on June 30. Islamists forced open the Hindu crematorium’s gate. According to the local Hindus, the raid was carried out to seize the Hindu Crematorium Ground land.
13. In Lamora, Dhekuajuli, A woman was sexually assaulted on July 1. Police took Samsul Islam, also known as Babul Ali, into custody.
14. On July 6, in the Shonitpur district’s Rangapora, Islamists kidnapped and attempted to rape a Janajatia girl. Police took Dildar Hussain into custody.
15. On July 13, in the Goalpara district’s Matiya neighbourhood, a young Muslim woman subjected a 70-year-old woman to sexual abuse.
16. On July 20, a young Hindu girl was kidnapped from Mangaldoi’s Ramhari neighbourhood. The police detained Sajel Ali.
17. On July 24, Hindu homes in Dhing, Nagaon district, were targeted at night by a spray gang. A 65-year-old woman was also allegedly raped after the loot was taken. Many Islamists from the “Spray Gang” were taken into custody by the police.
18. On July 28, in Hajo, a young Hindu girl was molested and subjected to sexual assault. Ibrahim Ali was taken into custody by the police.
19. On August 2, Muslim villagers in the Dhekiajuli neighbourhood of Borsola attacked the police. To apprehend a criminal, the police travelled to the village. Numerous police personnel suffered injuries.
20. On August 14, a Hindu youth was kidnapped from Guwahati town’s Azara neighbourhood. Param Ali was taken into police custody.
21. On August 17, Muslim villagers in the Barpeta district’s Dangarkuchhi area attacked Hindu villagers.
22. A Hindu girl at Assam University in Silchar was the victim of a sexual assault on August 19; the police detained Badruz Zaman Faruq.
23. On August 19, in the Bihali neighbourhood of Bure Ghat, Islamists kidnapped a young Hindu girl. They attempted to rape the girl. Abdul Hussain, Suraj Ali, and Julud Hussain were taken into custody by police.
24. On August 22, in the Nagaon district’s Dhing, a young Hindu girl is kidnapped and sexually assaulted by a gang. The police detained Junaidul Islam and Tafazzul Hussain. Tafazzul died by drowning while trying to escape police custody.
25. On August 23, two Muslim youths, Shahrukh Hussain and Miraj Ali, tried to molest two young women while doing evening walks in Tezpur town. People captured Shahrukh, but Miraj escaped. Later at night, when police raided his house, he again tried to flee. Police had to fire on his leg to prevent the escape.
26. On August 23, in the Sidli area, Village Defence Party (VDP) secretary Jaharuddin Dewan molested two Hindu girls and tried to sell them out of Assam through a human trafficking racket. Police have arrested Dewan.

These incidents, ranging from sexual assaults and kidnappings to land grabs and police attacks by the Islamists, have heightened tensions in the region.