Assam Begins Eviction Of 2,000 Bengali-Speaking Muslim Families In Golaghat; 1,500 Forces Deployed To Counter 'Demographic Invasion'

In a bid to counter the "demographic invasion" by “people of one religion”, the Assam government is set to carry out a significant eviction operation on Tuesday (29 July). This move is expected to impact over 2,000 families residing in the Golaghat district of Eastern Assam.

Authorities predict approximately 15,000 bighas (or about 4900 acres) of the Rengma Reserve Forest in Uriamghat, located in the Golaghat district, will be cleared of encroachment in two stages. This area is home to roughly 2,700 families.

The first phase of this process, beginning on Tuesday, will be the most recent in a series of evictions primarily impacting Bengali-speaking Muslims in the state, Indian Express reported.

“The forest department has divided the area into nine blocks and the residents have been given notices to vacate the area in seven days. In preparation for the eviction, more than 1,500 forces including police, commandos and forest protection personnel have been deployed there," a district official was quoted as saying.

The eviction in Uriamghat, specifically, has been the focus of a fortnight-long initiative spearheaded by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. He has highlighted it as a key example of Bengali Muslims from Central and Western Assam, where they are primarily located, migrating into Eastern Assam.

Sarma has continually emphasised the need to defend this area from what he terms a "demographic invasion". He has also pointed out that the encroachers have deforested the region for the extensive cultivation of betel nuts.

“More than 90 per cent of the people have already cleared their possessions and left. Apart from Bengali Muslims, 42 Manipuri Muslim and 92 Nepali families have also been asked to evacuate from the area,” BJP’s Sarupathat MLA Biswajit Phukan told Indian Express, clarifying that the eviction is not a targeted exercise.

He added: “There are 150 Bodo families who also live, but they will not be evicted since they have forest rights certificates in line with the 2006 Forest Rights Act. Representatives from the All Assam Minority Students Union also met the Chief Minister when he visited the site last week and the government will consider giving lawful compensation if there are families who were there before 1971, but first the eviction will have to be done”.