Indian police arrest dozens for expressing "sympathy" with Pakistan online

Indian authorities have detained scores of individuals in the northeastern state of Assam for allegedly expressing "sympathy" towards Pakistan, a month after the region witnessed the worst conflict between the two arch-rivals in decades, a senior government official confirmed on June 1.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, a prominent leader of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist party, stated that “81 anti-nationals are now behind bars for sympathising with Pakistan,” Caliber.Az reports, citing Pakistani media. 

He added that government systems are actively monitoring social media to identify and act against what they term “anti-national” content.

One individual was arrested after posting a Pakistani flag on Instagram, according to Assam police, though further details regarding the other arrests have not been disclosed.

This crackdown follows a wider social media clampdown after the April 22 attack on tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the deadliest civilian attack in the disputed Muslim-majority region in decades. New Delhi blamed Islamabad for allegedly supporting the militants responsible for the attack, allegations Pakistan has denied.

The incident escalated tensions, leading to a four-day military confrontation—the worst since the 1999 Kargil conflict—before a ceasefire was brokered on May 10.

In parallel, Chief Minister Sarma has intensified efforts to address illegal immigration, a contentious issue in Assam, which shares a long and porous border with neighbouring Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority country.

Indian media outlets, including The Times of India, reported that Assam authorities have detained dozens of suspected Bangladeshi nationals in recent weeks and pushed them back across the border into no-man’s land. Between May 27 and 29 alone, at least 49 individuals were reportedly handed over to border security forces.

The Assam government has not officially responded to these reports.

Relations between India and Bangladesh, once close allies, have grown increasingly strained since the overthrow of Dhaka’s government last year. Bangladesh has since moved closer to China and Pakistan, further complicating the regional geopolitical landscape.

By Khagan Isayev