CPI(ML) slams Assam eviction drive, alleges rights violations and land grab conspiracy

The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation [CPI(ML)] has strongly condemned the recent eviction drives carried out in various parts of Assam, alleging gross human rights violations and a conspiracy to displace tribal and minority communities for the benefit of corporate interests.

A CPI(ML) fact-finding team led by Arrah Lok Sabha MP Sudama Prasad and Assam State Committee Secretary Bibek Das visited the eviction-hit areas of Ashudubi in Goalpara district and the proposed satellite township site at Barduar under the Palashbari revenue circle in Kamrup district.

According to the team, the eviction operations — carried out on July 12 — were executed in violation of Gauhati High Court directives that prohibit eviction without proper rehabilitation. The team reported that eviction notices had been issued on June 18, but the actual eviction was executed with a massive show of force involving approximately 60 JCB machines and hundreds of police and paramilitary personnel, creating what they described as a “war-like” situation.

Balindra Saikia, CPI(ML) Central Committee member, in a telephonic conversation with the Margherita correspondent of India Today NE, said the evicted people were denied basic necessities such as drinking water, sanitation, food, and shelter. He further alleged that the eviction was disguised as targeting a reserved forest under a new name, despite the presence of government institutions like schools and water supply schemes in the area — evidence that the land was not officially classified as forest.

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Saikia also revealed that many of the evicted residents held legitimate land documents. Out of 1,038 bighas of land in the area, around 800 bighas were occupied by 1,100 families, most of whom are extremely poor and use the land for housing and farming. Around 70 families had land pattas, and another 100 had official government allotments. The government had also collected land revenue from these families, he said.

The team alleged a deeper conspiracy behind the eviction, suggesting that the land is being cleared to hand it over to corporate entities. Locals claimed that the trauma of the eviction notice led to two tragic deaths: Sheikh Monirul Islam, 27, died by suicide, while 60-year-old Anaruddin Sheikh reportedly succumbed to a heart attack. The eviction also saw the demolition of two primary schools, eight mosques, two madrasas, three Eidgahs, three Imambaras, five Anganwadi centers, two Jal Jeevan Mission projects, and 15 licensed pharmacies.

At Barduar Tea Estate under Palashbari, the CPI(ML) delegation participated in a meeting chaired by Gobind Rabha, president of the Barduar Land Patta Demand Committee. The discussion centered on the government's proposed satellite township project. The team expressed deep concern that tribal and indigenous people, who have lived in the area for over a century, are now being evicted in the name of development.

Addressing the gathering, MP Sudama Prasad strongly criticized the BJP-led Himanta Biswa Sarma government, accusing it of systematically depriving local tribal populations of their land rights. “The land, forests, and water of Assam belong to its people. These inhumane evictions will not be tolerated,” he said.

State Secretary Bibek Das warned of the environmental and social consequences of a proposed 55 MW river dam on the Kulsi River, which he said would further threaten local livelihoods. He also highlighted the continued struggles of affected residents.

In a startling claim, local residents accused Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council Chief Executive Member Tankeswar Rabha of being complicit in the evictions. They alleged he threatened Muslim minority residents of Ashudubi with eviction if they did not vote for the BJP.

MP Sudama Prasad assured the gathering that he would raise these issues — including land conflicts, displacement of tribal people, and alleged “Jungle Raj” in Assam — in Parliament.

The fact-finding team also included CPI(ML) Central Committee leader and former Bihar MLA Manoj Manzil, CPI(ML) State Committee members Pankaj Kumar Das, Balindra Saikia, Ananta Hazarika, and trade union leader Subhash Singh.