Assam eviction drives not targeting any community, says minister Jayanta Malla Baruah

Assam Finance and Forest Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah on October 26 said eviction drives in the state were not aimed at any particular religion or community, asserting that the recent operation in Lutumari Reserve Forest was carried out in accordance with legal procedures and directions of the Supreme Court.

Baruah was responding to a social media post by Bangladesh Parliament's Leader of the Opposition Shafiqur Rahman, who expressed concern over the eviction of Muslim families and the alleged demolition of mosques in Assam.

The minister said the government understood the difficulties faced by families during eviction proceedings but maintained that forest protection and the rule of law should not be viewed through a religious lens.

“We respect every community and understand the human difficulties involved in such proceedings. But forest protection and the rule of law cannot be selectively interpreted through a religious lens,” Baruah said.

He asserted that the operation was neither arbitrary nor directed against any particular community. According to the minister, notices were served well in advance, and the government waited for the rainy and flood season to end before proceeding with the eviction.

Baruah also claimed that the operation was conducted peacefully, without reported resistance or the use of force, and that affected families had been given time to vacate their homes and remove their belongings.

The eviction drive was carried out on October 17 and 18 across 314 hectares of notified forest land in Lutumari Reserve Forest in Nagaon district, affecting 563 families, the minister said.

“Protecting notified forest land is both a legal responsibility and an ecological necessity,” he said, adding that the reclaimed land would be restored with indigenous forest species to regenerate wildlife habitats, particularly those of elephants, and help reduce human-elephant conflict.

Baruah said the latest operation followed an earlier eviction drive in November last year, when alleged encroachments were cleared from 5,962 bighas, or nearly 798 hectares, of land in Lutumari Reserve Forest, affecting around 1,700 families.

Of these, 563 families approached the Supreme Court, claiming legal rights over the land. The minister said the second phase of eviction was undertaken after their petitions were disposed of on September 2.

Anti-encroachment operations were also carried out in Borpani Reserve Forest in Nagaon district and in parts of Hojai and Golaghat districts, affecting more than 500 families, he said.

Rahman, in his social media post, expressed “deep concern” over the eviction of Muslim families and the alleged demolition of mosques. He claimed that more than 1,100 families were evicted within two days and that local residents had reported the demolition of 10 mosques, some of which were more than 50 years old.

He also criticised the Indian government over what he described as a failure to protect the rights of Muslim minorities, arguing that such actions ran counter to humanity and the rule of law.

Rahman further appealed to people in Bangladesh not to allow the issue to trigger religious divisions or social unrest, and urged them to preserve communal harmony.