Assam resumes eviction drive in Goalpara, 588 houses to be demolished: officials

Locals protested against the demolitions and attempted to stop excavators from entering the area and police detained a few protesters

Silchar: The Assam Forest Department on Sunday resumed a large-scale eviction drive in Goalpara district, with officials confirming that 588 illegally constructed houses are being demolished.

In the first phase of eviction drive in Goalpara, conducted earlier this year, 1,080 houses were demolished.

Divisional forest officer (DFO), Goalpara, Tejas Mariswami, told HT that the demolition began on Sunday morning after notices were served to all the affected families.

“Eviction notices were served to 588 families ahead of the operation, and many of them vacated their houses before we began. The process has remained peaceful so far, and adequate forces are deployed in the area,” he said.

However, some locals protested against the demolitions and attempted to stop excavators from entering the area. Police later detained a few protesters, which officials described as “preventive detention.”

HT reached out to senior superintendent of police (SSP), Goalpara, Nabaneet Mahanta, for a comment, but he did not respond.

Mariswami said this is the second phase of evictions in Goalpara. In the first phase, conducted earlier this year, 1,080 houses were demolished.

“We are following all required procedures—from verifying illegal encroachments to serving prior notices and allowing families time to vacate on their own,” Mariswami said.

According to him, the ongoing eviction efforts have helped reduce human–wildlife conflict in the district. “We’ll continue surveying forest areas to detect illegal encroachments, and eviction drives will follow standard operating procedures,” he added.

Assam has witnessed a series of eviction operations this year, part of what the government describes as an effort to curb demographic invasion and reclaim encroached public and forest lands.

According to locals, most of those affected belong to Bengali-origin Muslim families, a trend that has been questioned by many from opposition parties and rights groups.

Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a Facebook Live broadcast earlier this week, had announced the resumption of the eviction drive.

Referring to political pressure following singer Zubeen Garg’s death, he said, “Some people thought Himanta Biswa Sarma would stop evictions under pressure. But I want to tell them, I will not make you happy. On November 9 and 10, evictions will take place in Goalpara’s Dahikata forest.”

Sunnydeo Indradeo Choudhury, Conservator of Forests, Central Assam Circle, said over 1,000 forest and police personnel have been deployed for the operation, along with heavy machinery, including excavators.

He added that Goalpara is among the hotspots of the eviction campaign, which has targeted areas such as the Paikan Reserve Forest and Hasila Beel wetland.

“These areas are heavily encroached. In July, we cleared 140 hectares of land. In Goalpara alone, over 900 hectares of forest land have been recovered through eviction drives this year,” he said.