In Assam, a disconcerting shadow looms over the Muslim communities. Concerns over discrimination and systematic exclusion of Muslims in the northeastern state are indicative of larger problems with regional conflicts arising from religion and ethnicity.
Various examples of discrimination against Muslims in a number of contexts, such as the workplace and educational demonstrate the state’s intent to disempower a community.
A look at socio-political standing of the Muslims reveals they are among the most disadvantaged groups in Assam. In addition to being denigrated as ‘outsiders’ and ‘Bangladeshis’, they also face discrimination over allegations of being Jihadis. Moreover, their citizenship has also come under attack.
Assamese Muslims comprise a diverse group that may be subdivided into groups such as Goriya, Moria, Julha, Deshi, Bihari Muslims, and Muslims of Barak Valley. The BJP, which rules the state, has further the already-existing rifts among the state’s Muslim communities by arbitrarily labelling some as indigenous to keep ‘Miya Muslims’ (a terms used to refer to Muslims who are thought to be illegal Bangladeshi migrants) out of the public and political spaces. For this state conducted a full-fledged socio-economic survey of indigenous Muslims.
Systematic exclusion from political spaces
- There are 16 ministers in the state government; none of them are Muslims.
- None of 34 districts of Assam has a single Muslim deputy commissioner or superintendent of police.
- The Gauhati High Court has 23 judges and one chief justice. None of them is Muslim.
- The representation of Muslims in media houses is low or entirely missing.
This underrepresentation is not an overnight phenomenon as it happened over the decades.
There are currently 31 Muslim MLAs in the state legislative Assembly with 126 seats, following the Assembly election in 2021, which is roughly 24.60 percent. Nonetheless, 43 Muslim MLAs in the Assam Assembly would be a reasonable number with respect to the population share.
In 2021, estimations have predicted that the Muslim population in the state has reached 40%, numbering 1.4 crore, out of total population of 3.5 crore. However, of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies, only two are represented by Muslim MPs.
On June 20, 2023, the Election Commission of India published a notification on delimitation of Assam’s Parliamentary and Assembly seats. Observers believe that the delimitation was conducted to restrict the number of seats in districts with a majority of Muslims while raising the number of SC-reserved Assembly seats from 8 to 9 and ST-reserved Assembly seats from 16 to 19.
CM’s outrageous remarks
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sharma is known to target the minorities in his speeches. On one occassion, he said, prices of vegetables increase due to ‘Miya Muslims’.
Assam’s Muslim population is well-known for their skill in agriculture and their hard labour in the fields. A large segment of this population works in agriculture and other related fields.
“The price of vegetables is much lower in our villages. However, the price suddenly increases when Miya traders bring them to our cities,” he stated in response to a query about the rising vegetables prices in Gauhati.
He went on to urge the youth of upper and middle Assam, who identify as Assamese to “clean up the Miyas from Gauhati”. He advised them to put more effort and give the Miya vendors, who sell fish, vegetables, and other goods, a fierce competition.
In another statement targeting livelihood of the Muslim community, he said, “Fewer people were traveling on city roads on Eid since people were celebrating the holiday. Miyas make up a majority of bus, Ola, and Uber drivers.”
Calling upon the Assamese, he said, “We should accept the challenge and give them (Muslim drivers) something to contend with. By coming forth with more Assamese drivers, the authorities can clean up Gauhati.”
Representation in higher education sector
Assam has two central universities and 14 state universities. According to a study conducted by Nazimuddin Siddique, who teaches Sociology at Jamia Millia Islamia, that was published by The Wire, to examine the percentage of Muslim staff five universities were taken into consideration.
- Tezpur Central University has 3.98 percent Muslim teachers.
- Gauhati University has 7.47 percent Muslim teachers. Arabic and Parsi departments of Gauhati University alone have seven Muslim teachers, and without these two departments, the representation of Muslim teachers in the university comes down to 5.54 percent.
- Bodoland University, located in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) of Assam, does not have a single Muslim teacher out of the 93 teachers.
- Dibrugarh University, which was established in 1965, has about 2.44 percent Muslim teachers, which is an abysmally low number.
- BSSR Vishwavidyalaya is a newly opened university in the Golaghat district of the state with 5.88 percent Muslim teachers.
Biased schemes
Initiatives for the impoverished launched by the government also do not include Muslims. A recent example is the Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyaan (MMUA), which aims to improve the financial situation of rural women via an investment of Rs 4,000 crore.
Women eligible for this scheme are limited to those who have less than three children, with the exception of Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Scheduled Castes (SC). Women who fall under the SC or ST categories are eligible for this programme even with four children but the Muslim women are not eligible.
Notably, the Sachar committee makes it clear that Muslims are in a worse economic situation than SCs and STs.
Another programme called Vasundhara 2.0, which grants land rights to the state’s landless citizens, also completely excludes Muslims.
Muslims in jail
The percentage of Muslims incarcerated by the state paints a very intriguing picture. According to Prison Statistics India 2022, which was released by the National Crimes Record Bureau (NCRB), Muslims make up 55.6 percent of the inmates incarcerated in Assamese jails. 52.54 percent of the inmates in Assam’s prisons are those awaiting trial.
Socio-economic survey
In Assam, the BJP is clearly discriminatory against the Muslim. It’s pulling away from the ‘Miya‘ group that speaks Bengali while courting the ‘indigenous Muslims’ of Assam. Both the government’s policies and the remarks made by the chief minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, reflect their stance.
On October 3, 2023, the Assamese government announced that it would carry out a survey to determine the socio-economic situation of the state’s native Muslims. This was obviously an attempt to draw a line between the native Muslims of Assam and the Bengali-speaking ‘Miya Muslims’.
Muslims who speak Assamese in Assam have long fought for a unique identity. However, other Muslims perceive it as an attempt by the BJP to create a rift among them.
“Divide and rule is the BJP’s way. Their main objective is to sow discord among the Muslims of Assam,” All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) spokesperson and head of its youth wing, Jeherul Islam, told India Today. “The party is attempting to further its political agenda by dividing and forcing competition between indigenous and non-indigenous people,” he said.
Muslims in the state said, “We do not believe that the BJP will bring about any welfare through the socio-economic survey.”
The majority of Muslims in the state lack access to the system in contrast to other socio-economic groups that face discrimination. They are constantly forced to fight for the necessities of life, such as clothing, food, and land.
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