Authorities in Assam’s Nagaon district have launched a large-scale demolition and eviction drive that has displaced more than 1,500 Bengali-speaking Muslim families from land classified as reserved forest, officials said. The operation, which began early on Saturday in the Lutimari area under heavy security deployment, targets alleged encroachments over around 795 hectares of forest land.
By the time bulldozers moved in, over 1,100 families had already dismantled their homes and left with their belongings after receiving notices three months ago, followed by a one-month extension on request. The remaining structures were razed using heavy machinery as part of what local authorities have described as a major anti-encroachment exercise.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma publicly backed the operation, sharing a video of bulldozers at work and declaring that 1,441 “illegal structures” had been cleared in the Lutumari Reserve Forest, with a handful of houses and betel nut orchards to be taken down next. He framed the drive as reclaiming forest land from long-term occupation, vowing that demolition work would continue until the last identified structure is removed.
Human rights groups and activists, however, have accused the state of selectively targeting Bengali Muslim communities through repeated eviction and demolition actions. The Nagaon operation follows a series of similar drives in recent years, including a major demolition in Goalpara district earlier this month that left around 580 families homeless, deepening concerns about displacement and alleged discrimination.