The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has condemned the ongoing eviction of Muslim families in Assam, calling it unconstitutional, politically motivated, and rooted in communal bias. The organisation’s working committee, which met in Delhi on Sunday, also expressed alarm over what it described as the rapid rise of communalism, extremism, and state-backed discrimination against minorities, particularly Muslims.
Presiding over the meeting, Jamiat chief Maulana Arshad Madani said the demolitions were not simply attacks on homes but an assault on India’s Constitution and rule of law. “The chief minister of Assam is openly targeting Muslims. When he says, ‘We are only evicting Muslim people,’ it clearly shows that the campaign is based on religious bias,” Madani said.
He alleged that the Assam government was even defying Supreme Court stay orders in some demolition cases and warned against moves to remove displaced people from voter rolls. “Is the decree of a chief minister now considered law? Is there no longer any need for the judiciary?” he asked.
Madani clarified that Jamiat does not support illegal encroachments on government land but argued that many of the affected settlements were decades old and had been recognised by successive governments through the provision of roads, water, and electricity. “If these areas were illegal, why were they provided with public services?” he questioned.
According to Jamiat, over 50,000 Muslim families in Assam have been affected by the eviction drive, in a state where Muslims account for more than 40 percent of the population. The organisation linked the campaign to political efforts to polarise communities and revive the issue of illegal immigration. “Power may be attained by dividing Hindus and Muslims, but the country cannot be run this way,” Madani said.
He also warned that the targeting of Muslims reflects a deeper threat to India’s democratic fabric. “Today, the country stands at a crossroads where hatred is being disguised as patriotism, and oppressors are being protected from the reach of the law. It is not just Muslims who are suffering — the very future of the nation is at stake,” he said.
Leaders from Assam, including Maulana Mushtaq Anfara, are currently in Delhi consulting with legal experts. The Jamiat announced plans to file a petition in the Supreme Court challenging both the evictions and the alleged attempts to disenfranchise displaced voters.
The working committee also condemned the targeting of madrasas and mosques in violation of the Places of Worship Act, and strongly denounced Israel’s ongoing aggression in Gaza, although it refrained from commenting on the Indian government’s silence over the issue.
The meeting concluded with an appeal to the Chief Justice of India to take suo motu notice of the situation in Assam and uphold the constitutional rights of the affected families.
