Assam: Eviction drive in Golaghat enters day 2, targets 1,500 hectares of forest land

A large-scale eviction drive to clear alleged encroachments on nearly 1,500 hectares of forest land in Assam's Golaghat district entered its second day on Wednesday. The operation, targeting settlements in the Rengma Reserve Forest near the Assam-Nagaland border, is expected to displace around 1,500 families, mostly from the Muslim community.

The drive began on Tuesday in the Bidyapur area and continued on Wednesday in the Sonari Beel and Pithaghat zones. According to officials, the eviction has been largely peaceful so far.

Authorities aim to reclaim nearly 11,000 bighas (approximately 1,500 hectares) of forest land that they claim were illegally encroached. The operation is being carried out by the forest department with support from the Golaghat district administration, Assam Police, and in coordination with the Nagaland government.

Despite the government’s assertion that the area was encroached upon, officials acknowledged the presence of multiple state-sponsored amenities in the affected villages. These included houses built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), water connections from the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), government schools under the Sarba Siksha Abhiyan (SSA), a sub-health centre under the National Health Mission (NHM), electricity connections, markets, mosques, madrassas, and churches.

A district official said approximately 2,000 families lived in the area, with eviction notices served to around 1,500 of them. The remaining residents reportedly have Forest Rights Committee (FRC) certificates and include people from the Bodo, Nepali, and Manipuri communities.

“About 80% of the families served with notices have already vacated their homes. We are only demolishing structures left behind,” the official stated.

Local residents have contested the government’s version, claiming they were originally settled in the region by earlier administrations, particularly during the tenures of the Janata Party in 1978–79 and the first Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) government in the mid-1980s. The presence of a government primary school, established in 1978, is cited as evidence of long-standing habitation.

Several evicted residents said they were willing to cooperate with the authorities but pleaded for rehabilitation. “We only asked the government to relocate us. Now we’re staying in tents with no drinking water or food. It’s inhuman,” said Ali Kazi, one of the displaced persons.

Officials admitted that government infrastructure, including power and water connections, were set up in the area—even after 2016 when the BJP came to power in the state. “I don’t know why these facilities were sanctioned. They were already here when I took charge,” a forest department officer said.

To manage the eviction across 12 villages, the area has been divided into nine zones. Extensive security, including CRPF deployment, has been put in place to prevent unrest. A senior police official from Assam Police headquarters has been stationed in Golaghat to oversee law and order during the operation.

Meanwhile, the Nagaland government has issued advisories to its bordering districts to prevent displaced families from crossing into its territory.

Earlier this year, the Assam Assembly was informed that over 83,000 hectares of state land were under the occupation of four neighbouring states, with Nagaland allegedly holding the largest share—59,490 hectares.