Eviction drive in Nagaon displaces nearly 100 families; govt plans more operations

Nearly 100 families were displaced on December 5 as the Nagaon district administration cleared alleged encroachment from government land in Bhakatgaon area of Samaguri. 

According to District Commissioner Devashish Sharma, the eviction was conducted on 38 bighas of land, roughly 13 acres, which authorities say had been occupied since the 1990s.

Sharma said most of the residents left voluntarily after receiving eviction notices issued about 15 days earlier, while the remaining occupants were removed on Friday. 

The administration declared the area fully cleared and added that similar eviction initiatives will continue across the district. Areas identified for the next phase include Salanibari, Ahom Gaon, Tuktuki, Roumari Beach, Mairadhwaj, Bechamari, Shalmabari and Akharbari Gelekni Beach.

The large-scale eviction drive comes amid the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government’s ongoing campaign against alleged encroachment of government and forest lands since 2021, which has disproportionately affected Bengali-speaking Muslim families. 

Earlier on November 3, the Chief Minister reiterated that such eviction exercises would continue, asserting there can be “no peace” for what he termed “illegal Miyas” under his government. 

The word ‘Miya’, once used as a slur for Bengali-origin Muslims in Assam, has in recent years been reclaimed by sections of the community as a symbol of resistance.