Assam: CRPF deployed as authorities survey houses marked for eviction in Golaghat

Tension resurfaced in Assam’s Golaghat district on Sunday, March 1 after multiple state government departments, led by the Forest Department, conducted a fresh household survey at an eviction site in Negheribil under the Merapani area. The move has intensified fears of imminent demolition among the remaining 59 families of No. 2 Negheribil village.

A large team comprising officials from the Forest Department, the Land Conservation Department, the Golaghat district administration, and personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) carried out a detailed assessment of each household. The presence of central security personnel during the survey signalled heightened administrative preparedness amid possible resistance.

The fresh exercise follows eviction notices issued on February 22 to the 59 remaining families, directing them to vacate their homes within seven days. The affected residents, however, challenged the notices and once again approached the court seeking relief.

The dispute traces back to August last year, when the Forest Department carried out a major eviction drive in No. 2 Negheribil village, displacing 146 families. At the time, 59 families had secured temporary protection after moving the Supreme Court of India, which ordered maintenance of status quo, effectively halting their eviction.

Despite the interim relief, authorities reissued eviction notices to the same 59 families on August 22, signalling renewed intent to clear the area, reportedly classified as forest land. Sunday’s survey is widely being viewed as a precursor to enforcement action.

Local sources indicated that bulldozers could soon be deployed to demolish the houses of the remaining families, raising fresh concerns over displacement and humanitarian fallout. While officials maintain that eviction drives are aimed at reclaiming forest land, affected families argue that they are being rendered homeless without adequate rehabilitation.