Assam Flood Update: Relief Sparks Communal Row in Sribhumi

Torrential rains have plunged the entire Barak Valley — including vast parts of Sribhumi district — into a deepening humanitarian crisis. Among the worst-affected areas is Mahakal village under the North Karimganj constituency, now virtually transformed into an inland sea, with water stretching as far as the eye can see.

In Mahakal, residents remain marooned in waist-deep water inside their own homes. A single spell of rain is enough to flood entire households. The sudden inundation has caused widespread panic, despair, and irreversible damage. Agricultural land, fisheries, and local water bodies now lie submerged under muddy floodwaters, erasing livelihoods overnight.

Though rainfall has somewhat receded, the Barak River continues to swell, breaching embankments in the Kandigram region. A major breach at the embankment has inundated more than 30 villages, stranding thousands and cutting off access to basic necessities.

The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) is engaged in relentless rescue and relief efforts. Yet, the overwhelming scale of the disaster has exposed administrative gaps. Villagers, grappling with displacement and hunger, report a complete absence of elected representatives. No MLA, official, or relief administrator has visited the ground zero of the disaster to assess damages or extend meaningful support. Clean drinking water remains scarce, and essential supplies have yet to reach many areas.

Local frustration is now giving way to open outrage. Residents have alleged blatant political interference in the distribution of relief materials. With sitting MLA Abdul Aziz reportedly unwell, constituency duties have allegedly been handed over to his son, Raja. However, Raja stands accused of weaponizing the crisis for political gain.

Multiple accounts from villagers claim that relief supplies are being selectively distributed only among Muslim households, leaving Hindu residents in the same flood-hit zones with nothing. Such allegations of communal bias in the face of a shared tragedy have provoked anger and widened divisions, turning a natural disaster into a crisis of governance and social trust.

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