Sonitpur district government and a large squadron of armed security personnel began the drive on...
Digital Desk: On Wednesday, a string of eviction drives were carried out in three Assam districts, putting thousands of alleged encroachers of public land in dilemma.
The security officers used a stick on accused encroachers who threw stones at them to block the eviction, while some said they were being removed from their homes before the deadline.
The opposition Congress Party has condemned the eviction effort by the BJP-led government in Assam, claiming that many of the affected households are entitled to land rights under the Forest Rights Act of 2006.
The eviction of about 1,900 hectares of Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary and neighbouring small villages in Sonitpur district, central Assam, continues for the second day, affecting nearly 12,000 people.
"We are currently conducting evictions in Lathimari, Ganesh Tapu, Baghe Tapu, Gulirpar, and Siali. So far, everything has been quiet. There has been no adverse occurrence recorded "According to a senior official.
Sonitpur district government and a large squadron of armed security personnel proceeded with the drive on Tuesday.
Police and paramilitary personnel carrying out the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) campaign in Digboi, Tinsukia district, lathi-charged accused encroachers on railway land near Bogapani station when they threw stones to impede the eviction.
Debayajyoti Dutta, the officer in charge of the Digboi police station, stated, "We had to push back protesters who were attempting to obstruct the eviction drive. There was no harm done. NFR is completing electrification from Bogapani to Makum."
During the eviction campaign, more than 200 dwellings and businesses will be demolished. He stated that NFR has been attempting to remove the area for the past ten years and that multiple eviction notices have been served on them.
The district administration carried out an eviction effort in Bhabanipur, Barpeta district, to clear roughly 300 hectares belonging to Gopal Dev Aata Satra, a Vaishnavite monastery.
According to a senior official, four ponds will be built in the cleared site, which has been encroached upon for decades.
"These grounds were mostly used for farming, and the people who lived there came from adjacent communities. As a result, very few residential units are affected "He went on to say.
Most of the suspected encroachers in Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary, who are mostly Bengali-speaking Muslims, had fled their homes after receiving eviction warnings in recent weeks. Some were in the process of vacating their properties when the eviction campaign began.
Since the morning, "illegal settlers" have been spotted packing their possessions into tractor trolleys at several locations, even as bulldozers have been deployed to demolish their houses.
Burachapori is the fourth major eviction operation in Assam in two months. The drive in Nagoan's Batadrava on December 19 is being described as one of the greatest in the region, with over 5,000 accused encroachers being uprooted. It was followed by another exercise in Barpeta on December 26.
Since taking office in May 2021, the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led dispensation has been conducting eviction drives in various sections of the state.
In December, Sarma warned the Assembly that eviction drives to clear government and forest lands in Assam would continue as long as the BJP was in power.
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