Violence erupted in Assam’s Goalpara district amid an ongoing eviction drive, resulting in the death of one person, identified as Qutub-uddin Sheikh, and serious injuries to another, who was transported to a hospital in Guwahati, according to NorthEast Live.
The incident occurred during the clearance of over 140 hectares in the Paikan Reserve Forest, where authorities displaced approximately 1,080 families—predominantly Bengali-speaking Muslims. Many of the residents claimed they had lived on the land long before it was declared a reserved forest.
Clashes reportedly broke out when those facing eviction resisted by throwing stones and attacking security personnel with sticks and sharp weapons.
This operation follows the June 16 demolition of homes belonging to 690 families in Hasilabeel, a wetland near Goalpara town. These evictions are part of a broader crackdown by the Assam government, which Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has defended as necessary to protect forests and indigenous land rights.
Taking to social media, Sarma reaffirmed the government’s stance, stating: “Evictions will continue, safeguarding our forests and land rights of the indigenous people will continue, crackdown on illegal infiltrators will continue.”
While addressing the eviction drive in Kokrajhar on July 8, the Chief Minister further remarked, “If anyone has a problem with the removal of 350 illegal Bangladeshis, they will have to bear it,” indicating that the administration would not be swayed by criticism or resistance. He reiterated on July 9 that anti-encroachment operations would proceed, warning that any threat of violence would be dealt with firmly.
Opposition leaders have sharply criticized the government’s actions. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the demolitions, calling them a targeted assault on Bengali-speaking Muslims and branding the destruction of over 2,000 homes in Dhubri and Goalpara districts a “state-sponsored pogrom.” He accused the government of violating Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and personal liberty.
Speaking at a rally in Chaygaon, Kharge pledged that a Congress-led government would rebuild the demolished homes and rehabilitate displaced families.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi echoed the condemnation, accusing the BJP-led state government of orchestrating a “state-sponsored fire.” He alleged that the evictions were not in public interest, but rather to clear land for industrialists like Adani and Ambani.
The eviction drives have sparked widespread protests, drawing thousands—many of them displaced residents—who rallied against the government’s actions.
The events bear a chilling resemblance to the 2021 police firing in Assam’s Darrang district, in which two Muslims, Saddam Hussain and Sheikh Farid, were shot dead during a protest against a similar eviction operation.
