Assam in 2025: A year shaken by loss, polarised by politics and unsettled by violence

Grief, confrontation and unresolved fault lines defined Assam’s public life in 2025. The death of cultural icon Zubeen Garg triggered unprecedented protests and a high-stakes criminal trial, eclipsing governance and policy debates. As political rhetoric sharpened ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, fresh violence in West Karbi Anglong underlined how fragile peace remains in parts of the state, leaving Assam to close the year unsettled and deeply divided.

The death of Assam's beloved singer Zubeen Garg in September cast a shadow over 2025, triggering unprecedented public grief and a murder investigation that has gripped the state as it heads into election season.

Garg died whilst swimming in Singapore on September 19 during the North East India Festival. The 52-year-old singer's unexpected death sparked immediate suspicion, with lakhs lining the streets as his body returned from Singapore. For three days, mourners paid homage at a stadium before his cremation, scenes marked by both profound grief and mounting anger.

Public sorrow quickly transformed into mass protests demanding justice. Under pressure, authorities formed a Special Investigation Team which filed a charge sheet on December 12 accusing festival director Shyamkanu Mahanta, Garg's manager Siddhartha Sharma, and band members Shekharjyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta of murder. The singer's cousin, Sandipan Garg, an Assam Police official, faces charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, whilst two personal security officers were booked for criminal conspiracy.

The case rapidly acquired political dimensions, with both ruling and opposition parties seeking advantage. A social media campaign under #JusticeForZubeenGarg recorded some of the highest engagement ever seen in the state. The government has promised to seek fast-tracking of the trial, which has now begun.

In a poignant postscript, Garg's final film 'Roi Roi Binale' was released on October 31 as he had planned, becoming the highest-grossing Assamese film to date.

Electoral battleground intensifies

With assembly elections looming in 2026, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma triggered controversy by alleging that Deputy Leader of the Opposition Gaurav Gogoi and his British wife Elizabeth Colburn had links with Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI. An SIT submitted its report on September 10, with Sarma claiming it revealed "startling facts" pointing to a conspiracy against national sovereignty.

Gogoi, appointed Assam Congress president after the allegations emerged, dismissed them as a "C-grade Bollywood film" destined to flop. Opposition parties termed the accusations politically motivated, designed to influence next year's polls. Eight opposition parties have since announced plans to contest elections together.

Throughout the year, Sarma campaigned aggressively on infiltration, launching eviction drives in forest areas and Vaishnavite monastery properties allegedly encroached upon by Bengali-speaking Muslims. He claimed 35-40 people were being "pushed back" weekly.

Political observers viewed the tabling of the Tewary and Mehta Commission reports — related to violence ahead of the 1983 elections, including the Nellie massacre — with scepticism, calling it poll-driven. Similarly, bills on polygamy, land rights for tea garden workers, and the cabinet sub-committee report on granting Scheduled Tribe status to six communities were seen as attempts to consolidate electoral support.

The BJP-led alliance swept panchayat polls but suffered a setback in Bodoland Territorial Council elections, losing power to the Bodoland People's Front, which joined the NDA.

Violence erupts over tribal land rights

The year closed with violent clashes in West Karbi Anglong district, highlighting deep tensions over land rights and ethnic identity. Two people died, and more than 70 were injured, including over 60 police personnel, in violence between Karbi and Bihari communities in late December.

The unrest stemmed from a hunger strike by Karbi organisations demanding eviction of alleged illegal settlers from Village Grazing Reserve and Professional Grazing Reserve lands — areas protected under the Sixth Schedule that safeguards tribal rights.

When authorities moved to clear hunger strikers at Kheroni on December 22, widespread anger erupted. Protesters torched the ancestral home of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council Chief Executive Member Tuliram Ronghang and set fire to shops at Kheroni market.

One protester died during police action to disperse crowds, whilst a differently-abled man was burnt alive inside a shop. The violence saw stone-pelting, crude bombs, and arrows deployed against security forces. Director General of Police Harmeet Singh was struck on the shoulder, whilst an Inspector General sustained leg injuries.

The Army was deployed to conduct flag marches, whilst authorities suspended mobile internet services and imposed prohibitory orders across both Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts. Chief Minister Sarma acknowledged the demand for eviction but cited a Gauhati High Court stay preventing immediate action. A tripartite meeting between the state government, the autonomous council, and agitating organisations has been scheduled.

Cultural celebrations amid turmoil

The cultural sphere witnessed the launch of year-long centenary celebrations for Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the celebrations on September 13, with multiple programmes planned across the country. President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to attend the concluding ceremony in 2026.

The administration also rolled out several welfare schemes for women, girls, and students, with the chief minister claiming nearly 1.5 lakh people received government jobs over the past five years.

As 2025 closes, Assam stands marked by contradiction: a year of cultural pride and cinematic success, of welfare claims and hard politics, but also of grief, protest and recurring violence. The shadow of Zubeen Garg’s death, the sharpening battle for 2026, and the unrest in places like West Karbi Anglong ensure that the state enters the new year with little sense of closure.