India arrests 81 people over alleged ‘pro-Pakistan’ posts since Kashmir attack

Rights advocates alarmed as Muslim voices increasingly targeted under sedition and anti-terror laws

NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Authorities in India’s northeastern state of Assam have arrested 81 people since late April for alleged “anti-national” social media activity, as part of a continuing crackdown following a deadly attack in Pahalgham, Indian-administered Kashmir.

The arrests have drawn concern from civil society groups and free speech advocates, particularly over the growing trend of criminalizing online dissent and disproportionately targeting Muslim voices.

According to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, a hardline Hindu supremacist leader of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the arrests were made in response to online expressions deemed sympathetic to Pakistan. 

In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), Sarma said: “Eighty-one anti-nationals are now behind bars for sympathising with Pakistan… Our systems are constantly tracking anti-national posts on social media and taking action.”

One of the most high-profile arrests was Aminul Islam, an opposition lawmaker from the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF). 

He was initially detained for sedition over remarks allegedly defending Pakistan, and though later released on bail, he was re-arrested under the National Security Act (NSA) — a preventive detention law criticized by rights groups for its broad and vague provisions.

Assam police said they are closely monitoring social media for “anti-national content,” and that users found supporting such narratives will face prosecution. 

Observers say these measures are being used to silence political dissent and suppress marginalized communities, especially Muslims.

Across India, similar arrests have taken place. Dozens of social media users, many of them Muslim youth, have been detained for posts criticizing the Modi government’s security and foreign policies.

In one notable case, the Bombay High Court last week granted bail to a 19-year-old Muslim student accused of sedition. The court sharply criticized the Maharashtra state government’s actions: “How can the state arrest a student like this? Does the state want students to stop expressing their opinions? Such a radical reaction from the state will further radicalise the person.”

The court added, “Someone is expressing their opinion, and this is how you ruin her life? A student’s life has been ruined.”

The wave of arrests highlights an increasingly hostile environment for political expression in India, where dissent—particularly from Muslim voices—is often framed as disloyalty or sedition under the current Hindu nationalist regime.