Goalpara: Bulldozers rolled into Assam’s Goalpara district on Sunday, demolishing homes and displacing hundreds of residents in a renewed eviction drive targeting 580 families, Maktoobmedia reported. The operation, focused on the Dahikata Reserve Forest, aims to clear 1,140 bighas (about 153 hectares) of land deemed “encroached” by the state government.
Videos shared by BJP Assam General Secretary Pallab Lochan Das showed makeshift homes being razed under heavy security presence. Officials said the drive may continue for two days.
District authorities told The Indian Express that over 1,000 forest and police personnel were deployed for the operation. The families facing eviction are accused of illegally occupying forest land. However, critics argue the demolitions violate Supreme Court guidelines and offer no rehabilitation, leaving families homeless overnight.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma defended the move last week in a post on X, stating: “We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to protect and restore every inch of our forest land. Encroachments on the 153 hectares (1143 bigha) of Dahikata RF, Goalpara, will be evicted immediately, and comprehensive steps will follow to reinstate forest cover and revive biodiversity.”
The state government has framed the campaign as a response to what it calls a “demographic invasion” by members of a particular religious community. Affected families told Maktoob that the demolitions disproportionately target Muslims.
Officials claim over 900 hectares of forest land have been recovered in Goalpara this year through similar clearance drives, though these have displaced thousands of residents.