1,100 Muslim families evicted in Assam; 10 mosques demolished

Bangla Press Desk:: In the Indian state of Assam, more than 1,100 Muslim families have been evicted over the course of two days. The majority of the displaced families are Bengali Muslims. The operations were carried out in the state’s Nagaon, Golaghat, and Hojai districts on October 17 and 18, according to government officials and media reports, as cited by *The Siasat Daily*.
The reports state that on October 17 alone, 547 families were evicted across the three districts: 336 in Nagaon, 152 in Hojai, and 59 in Golaghat.
On October 18, the homes of another 500 to 600 families were demolished in the Lutumari-Longjap reserved forest area in Nagaon district. Many residents left the area with their belongings before the excavators arrived. Officials indicated that the campaign to clear the forest land of encroachments may continue.
However, the residents of Lutumari have contested the government’s characterization of them as "illegal encroachers." They claim that their ancestors worked for the Forest Department and were permitted to settle there under the "Taungya" system, which was in practice during the British colonial era.
Abdul Nur, who lost his home in the eviction, stated that his family had been granted the land in 1974. He further alleged that more than 10 mosques—some decades old—were also demolished during the operation.
The affected families sought relief from the Gauhati High Court but were unsuccessful. In June, the court ordered them to vacate the area within 30 days, observing that the public interest in protecting reserved forest land outweighs individual claims to residency. The court also directed that electricity connections be disconnected once the deadline had passed.
A separate eviction drive had previously taken place in the Lutumari area in November of last year; reports indicate that approximately 1,700 families were affected by that operation. In addition, eviction drives have been carried out in the Jamuna-Maudanga Reserved Forest in Hojai district and the No. 2 Negheribil area in Golaghat district.
The Assam government states that these operations are being conducted to clear illegal encroachments from forest land and government-owned property. Conversely, some of the evicted residents claim that they have lived in these areas for a long time and that their ancestors had a working relationship with the Forest Department.
According to statistics compiled from government sources, approximately 19,000 families have been evicted from government land during the BJP’s decade-long rule in Assam. Reports indicate that the majority of these families are Muslim.
These operations—justified by the need to conserve forest land and reclaim government property—have reignited debates surrounding long-standing settlements, land rights, and the rehabilitation of the evicted families.
BP/TD