In one of its most extensive and high-profile eviction drives to date, the Assam government on Tuesday began removing over 2,000 families—primarily Bengali-origin Muslims—from land in the Rengma Reserve Forest, located in the Uriamghat area of Golaghat district in eastern Assam.
According to government officials, the operation is intended to reclaim approximately 15,000 bighas (around 4,900 acres) of land said to be encroached upon within the protected forest. The eviction process, divided into two phases, is expected to ultimately affect around 2,700 families.
Authorities have mobilized a massive security force of over 1,500 personnel, including police, commandos, and forest protection staff. The area has been divided into nine blocks, with residents reportedly receiving seven-day eviction notices prior to the operation.
This latest action is part of a broader trend of eviction campaigns under the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Assam government, which have disproportionately targeted Bengali-origin Muslims. State officials have framed these efforts as a response to what they term a “demographic invasion” by a particular religious group.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who has spearheaded the eviction agenda, has accused Bengali Muslims from Central and Western Assam of attempting to shift eastward, allegedly clearing forest land for extensive betel nut cultivation. Sarma insists that protecting these ecologically sensitive zones is essential to preserving the demographic and environmental balance of the region.
Local BJP legislator from Sarupathar, Biswajit Phukan, told The Indian Express that over 90% of residents in the affected area had already vacated. He emphasized that while the majority are Bengali-origin Muslims, other communities—including 42 Manipuri Muslim and 92 Nepali families—were also asked to leave.
Phukan noted that approximately 150 Bodo families residing in the region would not be evicted, citing their forest rights certificates granted under the Forest Rights Act of 2006. He added that compensation could be considered for those who can prove residency before 1971—but only after the eviction process is completed.
In anticipation of displaced residents attempting to cross into Nagaland, the neighboring state has deployed security forces along its border. The area has long been disputed, prompting concern from the Nagaland-based National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) faction, which accused the Assam government of using the eviction as a pretext to permanently station forces in the border zone.
The Dimapur Naga Students’ Union (DNSU) also raised alarms about a potential influx of displaced families into Nagaland, warning of threats to the region’s demographic stability, security, and political landscape.
Since June, the Assam government has carried out five major eviction drives across four districts, impacting over 3,500 families. According to Chief Minister Sarma, approximately 160 square kilometers have been “freed” since he assumed office, displacing nearly 50,000 individuals.
Earlier in July, a similar eviction in Goalpara district led to the removal of 1,080 families—mostly Bengali-origin Muslims—from 140 hectares of land in the Paikan Reserve Forest. Residents there claimed to have lived in the area even before it was designated as protected forest land.
Tragedy struck during another eviction in the Dhubri district, where nearly 1,400 families were displaced. Violence broke out during an operation in Goalpara’s Krishnai area on July 17, resulting in the death of a 19-year-old Muslim youth in police firing. Several others, including police personnel, sustained injuries during the clash.
The Assam government maintains that these actions are necessary to protect reserve forests and maintain regional balance. Critics, however, argue that the operations disproportionately target marginalized communities and raise serious questions about humanitarian and legal accountability.
