Overview

• Assam police arrested Hamidul Islam and Rupam Saikia on May 26 for allegedly sympathizing with Pakistan on social media.
• The chief minister said these detentions bring to 78 the number held under sedition laws and the National Security Act since the April 22 Pahalgam attack.
• The Resistance Front’s strike on Pahalgam, claimed by a Pakistan-linked group, prompted the government’s expanded surveillance of online speech.
• Opposition AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam was first charged with sedition, won bail, and was subsequently booked under the NSA.
• Critics warn that the broad application of security laws risks suppressing legitimate dissent and free expression.