Bulldozing of Muslim homes in Assam inhuman, illegal: JUH
Rahul, Kharge urge Modi to restore statehood to IIOJK
GOALPARA: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind President, accompanied by a high-level delegation, visited Assam’s Goalpara district to assess the situation following a demolition drive by the BJP-led state government that razed 3,973 homes in the Ashudubi and Hasilabil areas, displacing thousands of Bengali-origin Muslims.
The delegation met affected families and visited the demolition sites, terming the action inhuman and unconstitutional. A memorandum submitted to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma through the District Magistrate accused the government of religiously biased targeting, pointing out that Muslim-majority areas were selectively demolished while similar settlements of other communities were spared.
The delegation noted that many of the victims are legitimate Indian citizens who have lived in the area for decades, including earlier flood-displaced families. Evictions were reportedly carried out without notice and, in some cases, for private or industrial use.
Jamiat Ulama Assam has set up temporary shelters and is providing food and medical aid, but termed the current relief inadequate.
A preliminary report by Maulana Badruddin Ajmal and Hafiz Bashir Ahmad Qasmi revealed that from November 2023 to July 2025, over 8,115 families—more than 32,500 individuals—were displaced in Goalpara, Dhubri, and Nalbari. The report also recorded the demolition of 21 mosques, 44 madrasas, and 9 Eidgahs, further highlighting the communal nature of the crackdown.
The memorandum demands immediate rehabilitation, compensation, and the use of available government land for resettlement.
Rahul, Kharge urge Modi to restore statehood to IIOJK
Leaders of Opposition in Indian parliament Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi have urged the Modi government to immediately restore full statehood to Indian occupied Jammu Kashmir along with Sixth Schedule status to Ladakh.
A strongly-worded joint letter, addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, states that the people of [occupied] Jammu Kashmir have consistently called for the restoration of statehood over the past five years—a demand the Opposition leaders described as “legitimate and firmly grounded in their constitutional and democratic rights.”
Highlighting the unique case of Jammu and Kashmir, the letter reads: “This is the first time a full-fledged state has been downgraded to a Union Territory following its bifurcation. This has no precedent in independent India.”
The leaders reminded Modi of his own commitments made on multiple occasions. They cited Modi’s interview in Bhubaneswar on May 19, 2024, where he reportedly said, “The restoration of statehood is a solemn promise we have made and we stand by it.” They also referred to his speech in Srinagar on September 19, 2024, where he reaffirmed, “We have said in Parliament that we will restore the region’s statehood.”
Furthermore, the letter noted that the Indian government had made similar submissions before the Supreme Court during the hearings on Article 370, promising that statehood would be restored “at the earliest and as soon as possible.”
“In view of the foregoing,” the letter urges, “we urge upon the Government to bring forward a legislation in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament to grant full statehood to the Jammu Kashmir.”
The Opposition leaders also pressed for constitutional safeguards for Ladakh.
The letter bears the signatures of Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. NNI
