Assam starts massive eviction drive in forest land near Nagaland border

The eviction drive targets the demolition of over 2,600 allegedly illegal structures spread over 1,500 hectares of forest land.

Silchar: The Assam government on Tuesday morning launched a massive eviction drive in the Rengma forest area of Golaghat district, targeting the demolition of over 2,600 allegedly illegal structures spread over 1,500 hectares of forest land.

Over 4.2 hectares of encroached land were cleared on the first day, with the demolition of 50 concrete residential structures and nearly 200 small and medium-sized business establishments.

According to forest officials, over 4.2 hectares of encroached land were cleared on the first day, with the demolition of 50 concrete residential structures and nearly 200 small and medium-sized business establishments.

Officials said that a total of 2,648 illegal houses, spread across 12 villages within the reserve forest area, have been marked for eviction. The operation is focusing on localities including Sonaribil, Pithaghat, Dayalpur, Dalanpathar, Kherbari, Vidyapur, Vidyapur Bazaar, Madhupur, Anandpur, Rajapukhuri, and Gelajan.

The eviction drive formally commenced on Tuesday morning from the Vidyapur area, with large contingents of police, paramilitary units, and forest personnel overseeing the ground-level operations. More than 100 excavators and Pokland machines are being used for the demolitions, marking one of the most extensive deployments of mechanised resources in an eviction exercise in Assam.

The drive aims to clear encroachments from forest land located along the sensitive Assam-Nagaland border in Uriamghat. Given the high stakes, the operation is being carried out under tight security.

According to the Golaghat district administration officials, over 2,000 Assam Police personnel, including battalions from different districts, along with 500 forest guards, have been deployed to maintain law and order during the eviction process. Chief forest conservator M.K. Yadava, inspector general of police (IGP) Akhilesh Kumar Singh, and other senior officials were present on the site, personally monitoring the proceedings.

Yadava said the operation is being carried out in a phased and strategic manner to ensure minimal disruption. “This is part of a series of eviction drives. In the past, we have faced challenges, including attacks on government officials,” he said. He emphasised that the forest department first demarcated the designated areas, issued eviction notices to the locals, and provided sufficient time for them to vacate. “This drive has been executed with proper planning and in adherence to all mandatory procedures,” Yadava added.

The Rengma forest, under the Uriamghat revenue circle, has long been a contentious zone, with alleged encroachments by settlers sparking periodic tensions along the inter-state boundary.

Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, during a recent visit, alleged that illegal settlers had destroyed the forest cover, converting large swathes into areca nut plantations for personal profit. Sarma conducted an aerial drone survey last week to assess the extent of encroachments.

According to the chief minister, settlers from various districts of Assam—including Cachar, Sribhumi, Dhubri, Barpeta, Nagaon, Hojai, and Morigaon—have established unauthorised settlements in Uriamghat. He also alleged that migrants from Bihar had joined the encroachment wave.

“We will collect names and addresses. If they’re genuinely from these districts, there’s no problem. But if they are not permanent residents, eviction will be mandatory,” Sarma asserted.

He further detailed the modus operandi of an alleged “Supari Mafia,” accusing them of orchestrating systematic forest destruction. “Encroachers, in collusion with an organised Supari Mafia, have replaced native sal and teak forests with areca nut plantations. They source Myanmar-dried supari, mix it with local produce, and market it as ‘Assam supari’ for inflated profits,” Sarma wrote on X after his visit.

Terming the situation an “alarming scale of organised encroachment,” Sarma remarked, “The list of encroachers is so long that I’m not sure I can clear them all, even if I remain chief minister for my entire life.”

This is the third large-scale eviction drive in Assam since July 8. The first two operations were conducted in Dhubri and Goalpara, where over 2,000 illegally constructed houses were demolished.

While the earlier phases witnessed protests and resistance from local residents, Tuesday’s drive in Uriamghat saw no major protests. However, many locals accused the state government of harassing them under the pretext of clearing forest land.

A local resident, claiming that his family settled in the area in 1974, said, “We have documents like Voter ID and Aadhaar. We have lived here for decades and have even faced attacks from tribal groups in the past. But now the government is demolishing our houses, and we have nowhere to go.”

Another young man warned of launching a movement demanding a separate Miya Autonomous Council for Bengali-speaking Muslims. “If 35 lakh Bodo people can have an autonomous council, why can’t 1.4 crore Miya people have one? We will raise this demand and bring down Himanta Biswa Sarma from the CM’s post,” he told the media.

Police officials said that such remarks are being taken seriously, and investigations are underway. Legal action will follow, they added.