Govt probes surge in foreign-linked Fb accounts ahead of polls
2
Guwahati: Assam chief minister
Himanta Biswa Sarma
on Friday said the govt has initiated a forensic audit of about 5,000 Facebook accounts activated in the last one month, raising concerns over a surge in foreign-linked accounts, which he alleges are being used to destabilize Assam and influence its political discourse.
Sarma said a detailed forensic study was conducted on 2,092 accounts, revealing that a significant number of these were primarily operated from Islamic nations.
Sarma said among the audited Facebook profiles, 618 were from Bangladesh, 236 from Pakistan, 88 from Kuwait, 54 from France, 35 from Afghanistan, 16 from Indonesia, 10 from Jordan, eight from Iraq, six each from Brazil and Egypt, four each from Germany and Albania, three from Italy, two each from Australia and Palestine and one each from Canada, Colombia and Libya.
Sarma said these accounts share Islamic fundamentalist content, including pro-Palestine material, Iran-related posts, and content about Bangladesh's chief advisor Prof Md Yunus. He added that the central govt has been notified about this situation, describing it as a matter of "national security".
Sarma added that these accounts also have been exclusively monitoring the activities of a specific Assam Congress leader and the party's state unit pages during the past month.
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"It is surprising that they do not comment on or like posts by Rahul Gandhi or even the Indian National Congress. They are only focused on a particular leader and the Assam Congress," Sarma said.
"For the first time, there is so much foreign involvement in Assam politics in the run-up to the 2026 assembly elections," he said.
"Some accounts are private, and deeper investigations are required. It is a serious security concern that over 5,000 social media accounts were opened in a month, and they are commenting and liking posts related to Assam," he added.
Sarma said some individuals from outside have rented accommodation in two Guwahati localities and have established connections with YouTubers and social media influencers for this purpose. "Surveillance is being kept on them. Fundamentalist elements have entered Assam and are active in the run-up to the elections," he said.
He added that these account holders might be connected via WhatsApp and other messaging applications, as they operate from different time zones and receive alerts about fundamentalist content.
He added that Assam's Muslims, whether indigenous or settled migrants, would not share such content.
He said Assam and the northeast have consistently been targets of international fundamentalism, with separating the 'chicken neck' to integrate it with Bangladesh remaining an 'unfinished agenda' for extremists.
"We are in a very critical situation and the entire matter is being looked into from the national security angle," Sarma said.
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