Authorities in Guwahati, on February 27, evicted some 300 families of indigenous people and razed two temples as part of the Himanta Biswa Sarma government’s ongoing drive against the encroachment of government land in Assam.
At least 1,000 police personnel were deployed at Guwahati’s Silsako Beel to clear out around 132 acres of land from alleged encroachers. A temple dedicated to the goddess Durga and one to Lord Shiva was also pulled down.
The drive, conducted by the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), has predictably caused discontent.
Nipen Kalita, the caretaker of the Durga temple, told India Today NE: “I had been taking care of the temple for the past 20 years. After the demolition, it has become difficult for us to survive. The Durga idol was inside the temple premises when the bulldozer razed the place. We did not get time to protect her.”
Anil Kalita, a resident of Silsako Beel, alleged he had been victimised. “I purchased land in 1999 and the GMDA assured me that my house would not be demolished. I have been paying property tax and electricity bills since 2002,” he said. “I am a Kalita. Now, it’s for the government to decide who are we—Pakistanis or Bangladeshis.”
Deepika Kalita, a homemaker, claimed the eviction had come as a shocker as the government gave people no time. “We have everything, including holding number and tax receipts. But Himanta Biswa Sarma has demolished everything,” she said. Deepika said the eviction drive had nullified the chief minister’s assurance that indigenous people would be protected by his government.
The Himanta Biswa Sarma government has been carrying out eviction drives in various parts of Assam since assuming power in May 2021. Over the past three months, some major eviction exercises have been conducted wherein temples, mosques and madrassas have also been pulled down.