The Assam government launched a major eviction drive on Sunday in Biswanath district, displacing 309 families who were allegedly encroaching on government land, officials said.
The operation began early in the morning to clear nearly 175 bighas, or approximately 23 hectares, of land within the Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) in Japariguri. According to District Commissioner Simanta Kumar Das, all affected families had been served eviction notices on August 1, giving them 15 days to vacate the area.
“The eviction process is proceeding peacefully. We have demolished the remaining houses and have started dismantling a large tea garden on the site, which will be cleared for a forestation drive in the coming days,” Das said. The district administration deployed around 600 security personnel and used 20 excavators and dozens of tractors during the operation.
Officials said the majority of the evicted residents were Bengali-speaking Muslims. The move has sparked criticism from minority rights groups, including the All Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU). Visiting the site, AAMSU General Secretary Kuddus Ali Sarkar condemned the government’s action, calling it “inhuman.”
“We demand that the eviction drive be stopped immediately. No one should be removed unless proper rehabilitation measures are put in place,” Sarkar said.
Meanwhile, several ethnic organizations in the state have voiced support for the government’s effort to reclaim public land. These groups have launched the ‘Miya Kheda Andolan,’ a campaign aimed at removing what they claim to be illegal settlers from government property.
