In the northeastern state of Assam, India, police have arrested 81 people for allegedly "sympathizing" with Pakistan. The arrests come a month after the worst conflict between the two nations in decades.

Assam's Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist ruling party, stated that "81 anti-nationals are now behind bars for sympathizing with Pak." He added that the authorities are constantly tracking "anti-national posts" on social media and taking action.

According to Assam police, one person was arrested for posting a Pakistani flag on Instagram. However, no further details about the other arrests have been provided.

The arrests are part of a wider clampdown on social media that began after an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, the deadliest civilian attack in the contested Muslim-majority territory in decades. New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing the militants responsible for the attack, an accusation Pakistan has denied.

The incident led to a four-day conflict between India and Pakistan, the worst standoff between the two countries since 1999, before a ceasefire was agreed upon on May 10 with Washington's mediation.

In addition to these arrests, India's counter-terrorism agency arrested a paramilitary police officer last month for allegedly spying for Pakistan. At least 10 other people have been arrested on espionage charges in May, according to local media reports.

Chief Minister Sarma is also leading efforts to address illegal immigration, a contentious issue in Assam, which shares a long and porous border with neighboring Muslim-majority Bangladesh. Indian media have reported that the Assam government has allegedly rounded up dozens of alleged Bangladeshis in the past month and taken them to the border to cross. The Times of India reported that Assam was "dumping them in no-man's land," with at least 49 individuals allegedly pushed back between May 27-29 alone. The Assam government has not yet commented on these reports.

Earlier, Opposition AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam was arrested on sedition charges for allegedly defending Pakistan and its complicity in the Pahalgam terror attack. After getting bail in the case, Mr. Islam was again detained under the National Security Act (NSA). On May 2, Mr. Sarma had threatened to take stringent action against those who raised the 'Pakistan zindabad' slogan in the aftermath of the Jammu and Kashmir terror attack. Terrorists struck at a prime tourist location in Pahalgam in south Kashmir on April 22, killing 26 people, mostly tourists, and injuring several others.