Assam eviction drive razes homes of 73 Muslim families in Goalpara

The district administration in Assam’s Goalpara demolished the homes of 73 Muslim families across five revenue villages in the Krishnai area on Sunday, September 7, during an eviction drive targeting structures allegedly built on agricultural land, according to multiple local reports.

The operation under the Matia Revenue Circle covered Kharija Paikan, Khamar Manikpur, Bhojmala Part II, Jatsharbadi and Tengabari, the Assam Tribune reported. Excavators, JCB machines and bulldozers were deployed, while a heavy police contingent was stationed in the area, according to The Sentinel Assam.

Goalpara District Commissioner Pradip Timung said the affected families had purchased the land but constructed homes without obtaining the required change of land use from agricultural to residential, the Assam Tribune reported. He said the drive was aimed at protecting agricultural land, water bodies and natural drainage channels and denied any communal motive.

The action followed a complaint from the Bhoomi Sanrakshan Samiti, which accused settlers from outside the district of illegally acquiring and occupying the land, according to The Observer Post.

The affected families disputed the administration’s account. Speaking to Northeast Now, residents said they possessed land documents, including patta records, and rejected being described as illegal occupants. Several families said they had moved to Goalpara after losing their homes and farmland to Brahmaputra erosion in Barpeta district in 2017.

Residents also alleged that they were given around 24 hours to vacate and dismantle their homes, leaving little time to salvage their belongings, The Sentinel Assam and TimelineDaily reported.

The eviction drive comes amid a series of operations by the Goalpara administration targeting alleged encroachments on government and forest land.