Assam launches eviction drive on 215-acre land, 550 families likely to be displaced

Assam authorities began clearing alleged encroachments in Dhubri district on Sunday. Pending court proceedings spared 150 bighas as hundreds of families faced displacement.

In Short

• Notices were issued to around 700 families over alleged encroachment
• Many residents voluntarily vacated the area after receiving official notices
• Fifty excavators and tractor-trolleys were deployed alongside thousands of personnel

The Assam government on Sunday launched an eviction drive to clear alleged encroachments from 650 bighas, or nearly 215 acres, of land in Dhubri district, officials told news agency Press Trust of India.

Officials said the drive could displace nearly 550 families. The exercise began in Alamganj Part-9 of Gauripur circle on Sunday morning.

Dhubri District Commissioner Dibakar Nath said notices had been sent to around 700 families accused of encroaching on 800 bighas of land.

“Of them, 150 people living on around 150 bighas have approached the court seeking relief. As the matter is sub judice, the eviction drive was not carried out on those lands,” Nath told PTI.

He said the administration launched the drive on the remaining 650 bighas and that many families had voluntarily left the area after receiving the notices.

“So far, there has been no resistance and the exercise is underway peacefully. We will clear the area today itself,” he added.

The district administration deployed 50 excavators, several tractor-trolleys and other machinery for the drive, supported by thousands of civil administration and police personnel.

Since the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government first came to power in 2021, it has conducted several eviction drives to clear alleged encroachments. These have mostly affected Assam's Bengali-speaking Muslim population, locally known as “Miyas”.

“Miya” was originally used as a derogatory term for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, who are often identified as Bangladeshi immigrants by non-Bengali-speaking people. In recent years, activists from the community have adopted the term as a gesture of defiance.

The latest drive seeks to clear 650 bighas of land and is expected to affect nearly 550 families, while 150 bighas have been excluded because of pending court proceedings.

- Ends