A massive eviction drive is underway in Assam’s Goalpara district, where the government has deployed bulldozers, excavators, and more than 900 personnel, including police, paramilitary forces, and forest guards, to clear what it calls encroachments on 1,143 bighas of forest land in the Dahikata Reserve Forest. The operation, which began on November 9 and is expected to last two days, follows a directive from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Scenes of distress unfolded across the area as families watched their homes being demolished. “We are being evicted just because we are Muslims,” said a woman holding her child amid the rubble of her destroyed house, according to local media. Another woman, her voice breaking with tears, said, “We were born here. Our parents and grandparents lived here. Now our houses are gone—where will we go?”
Several residents reportedly dismantled their tin-roofed houses before the bulldozers arrived. Many said the government provided no relocation or rehabilitation plans, leaving hundreds, including children and the elderly, without shelter. “This land is our only home,” said one elderly man. “If we had any other place to go, we would have gone there.”
Goalpara Deputy Commissioner Prodip Timung said eviction notices had been served to around 580 families over two weeks ago. He claimed about 70% had vacated voluntarily and that the rest were in the process of leaving. “The entire stretch of land falls under the Dahikata Reserve Forest and has been encroached by these people,” Timung told The Indian Express, adding that the operation was being carried out in accordance with Gauhati High Court directives.
Special Chief Secretary (Forest) M.K. Yadava said the cleared area lies within an elephant corridor and that removing human settlements will help reduce human-animal conflict.
However, residents have disputed the government’s claim of encroachment. “If we were encroachers, why did the government give us electricity, toilets, and other facilities?” asked Abdul Karim, one of the affected villagers. “We have Aadhaar cards and land documents, but we are still being treated as outsiders.”
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a recent Facebook Live session, dismissed speculation that the eviction would be delayed. “Certain groups are conspiring to stop eviction drives. They once plotted to turn Assam into another Nepal. But we will not let Assam become Nepal,” he said.
On November 3, Sarma had also said that eviction drives would continue, declaring that “illegal Miyas”, a term widely used for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, would not find peace under his government.
The All Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU) condemned the operation, calling it discriminatory and unconstitutional. “How long will the government continue this oppression…snatching people’s food, clothing, and shelter?” asked AAMSU president Rezaul Karim Sarkar. “The chief minister has violated the Constitution. If the people cannot live in peace, the ruler too will not remain at peace.”
The current eviction is the third major drive in Goalpara district this year. On June 16, homes of 690 families were demolished in Hasilabeel, a wetland near Goalpara town, and on July 12, around 1,080 families were displaced when 140 hectares of land in the Paikan Reserve Forest were cleared. Five days later, police fired on protesters during clashes at the site, killing a 19-year-old and injuring several others.
Since the BJP came to power in Assam in 2016, the state has witnessed a series of eviction drives, most of which have targeted Bengali-speaking Muslim settlements. For many of the displaced, the government’s claim of protecting forest land has come at the cost of losing the only homes they have ever known.
