Eviction drive in Assam's Sribhumi: Vendors evicted while officials take food breaks

An eviction drive conducted in Sribhumi’s bustling Santar Bazar area has sparked public criticism over what many see as glaring double standards by the local administration. While small-scale vendors were forcibly removed for alleged encroachments, senior officials participating in the same operation were seen taking breaks to eat breakfast from roadside stalls during official duty hours.

The eviction, carried out jointly by the municipal board and district administration, aimed to clear unauthorized vending activities which authorities claimed were contributing to traffic congestion and unregulated public space usage. A significant deployment of security forces—including local police, CRPF personnel, commandos, and women police officers—was made to support the operation.

Despite the scale of the drive, no provisions were made by the civic authorities to rehabilitate the evicted vendors, most of whom rely on these informal businesses for their family’s livelihood.

What fueled further outrage was the sight of senior officials casually stopping to eat puri-sabzi from street-side stalls while eviction efforts were underway. Sources say the officials justified the act, citing that skipping breakfast past a certain time affects their health.

However, critics noted that while top-ranking officers could take time out for meals, no such basic concern was extended to the junior officers—especially women constables and field staff—who continued their duties without relief or acknowledgment.

The incident has drawn criticism from civil society and political groups, accusing the administration of showing an elitist attitude toward senior officials while neglecting both vulnerable citizens and frontline personnel.

Shubhajit Chakraborty, General Secretary of the State unit of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), condemned the incident, calling it “a textbook example of hypocrisy in governance.”

“How can a government justify such selective empathy? On one hand, poor families are being evicted without alternative arrangements, and on the other hand, senior officials are enjoying breakfast mid-operation. The double standard is not just unfair—it’s inhumane,” Chakraborty said.

Activists have called for the establishment of vendor rehabilitation programs and demanded equal working conditions and consideration for lower-ranked officers deployed in such operations.