The Goalpara district administration demolished 73 houses in Krishnai on Monday, September 6, during an eviction drive targeting homes allegedly built without permission on land classified for agricultural use.
The operation covered five revenue villages, including Kharija Paikan, Khamar Manikpur, Bhojmala Part II, Jatsharbadi and Tengabari. Officials deployed excavators, JCB machines and bulldozers to remove the structures.
Administration Cites Land Use Rules
The district administration said the affected residents had allegedly constructed houses without obtaining approval to change the land use classification from agricultural to residential.
Goalpara District Commissioner Pradip Timung said the action was aimed at protecting agricultural land, water bodies and natural drainage channels.
“This was entirely agricultural land, but people started settling here overnight,” Timung said. He added that constructing houses was affecting the natural flow of water and contributing to the shrinking of water bodies.
The administration said notices were issued to the occupants through the Matia Revenue Circle Officer, giving them 24 hours to vacate the area and remove their structures. Officials said none of the families complied within the stipulated period.
Residents Question Demolitions
Residents and minority organisations have questioned the action, claiming that some of those affected possessed documents showing ownership of the land.
Nurul Islam, executive president of the North East Minority Student Union, said the families whose homes were demolished were living on privately owned plots.
“Those whose houses were demolished were living on their own land and had the necessary land documents. The land was not government property. Their only issue was that the land was categorised as agricultural land,” Islam said.
He urged the government to compensate the affected families and reconsider such eviction drives.
Ashiq Rabbani, president of the Muslim Students’ Union of Assam, also criticised the demolitions.
“Building a house on one’s own agricultural land should not be treated as a crime,” Rabbani said.
Administration Rejects Communal Allegations
Timung rejected allegations that the drive specifically targeted Muslims, saying the administration’s survey showed that residents had moved to the area from several districts, including Darrang, Barpeta, Dhubri and Mankachar.
“This is not about Hindu or Muslim,” he said, adding that some Muslim residents had themselves complained about houses being constructed on agricultural land.
The latest operation comes amid continuing eviction drives in Assam. In November 2025, the Goalpara administration carried out a major operation in Dahikata to remove alleged encroachments from forest land.
