Move by India’s Assam state to allow arms for ‘indigenous’ people stirs fears of worsening violence

FILE PHOTO: Allowing arms for "indigenous" people is ostensibly aimed at helping locals deal with alleged threats that emanate from the illegal migration of Bengali Muslims from adjacent Bangladesh. Security officials stand guard at a checkpoint near a demolition site in Goalpara district in the northeastern state of Assam, India, July 18, 2025. - Reuters

NEW DELHI: A decision by the Assam government to introduce a liberal arms policy for “indigenous” civilians to defend themselves against “unlawful threats” could worsen the north-eastern Indian state’s long and bloody record of ethnic and religious violence, critics say.

That could have a far-reaching impact, including for India’s “Act East” policy. Assam’s stability is important to bring in wider development for India’s north-east, a region central to the country’s vision of developing closer ties with South-East Asia.