Published Paper Details:

This study complex interplay between ethnic anxiety, identity politics, and migration in Assam, a northeastern state of India that has long grappled with demographic transformation and cultural insecurities. Ethnic anxiety in Assam stems from fears of cultural dilution, economic marginalization, and political underrepresentation due to sustained migration, particularly from Bangladesh. The research investigates how Assamese nationalism, fueled by movements such as those led by the All-Assam Students' Union (AASU) and United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), has shaped narratives of indigenous versus outsider identities. The study studies the role of political rhetoric and media in amplifying these fears, importance how electoral strategies and media discourse often construct polarizing narratives around migration. Policy responses such as the Assam Accord (1985), the National Register of Citizens (NRC), and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) are examined to assess their effectiveness, implications, and unintended consequences. These legal frameworks have not only failed to fully address the root concerns of Assamese communities but have also sparked new forms of exclusion, protests, and communal tension. The study underlines the rise of identity-based politics and the weakening of social cohesion in a region marked by both diversity and distrust. Finally, this study cries for a reorientation of migration as a developmental issue and recommends inclusive policymaking, protection of indigenous rights, and promotion of inter-community dialogue