Authorities in Assam’s Goalpara district on Sunday demolished hundreds of homes in the Dahikata Reserve Forest, rendering nearly 600 families—predominantly Bengali-speaking Muslims—homeless as the state intensified its long-running anti-encroachment campaign. The operation, which targeted 1,140 bighas (approximately 376 acres) of notified forest land, began early morning with heavy machinery and a large police deployment. Officials described the drive as “peaceful”, stating that 70 percent of the 580 affected families had already vacated after receiving eviction notices issued over two weeks ago.

Goalpara Deputy Commissioner Prodip Timung told reporters that the exercise followed a Gauhati High Court directive and was divided into five blocks for systematic clearance. Resistance was reported in only one block, but excavators and tractors swiftly razed structures across the reserve. “We expect to complete the demolition by the end of the day,” Timung said, adding that alternative land or rehabilitation packages were not part of the current operation. Security personnel remained on high alert to prevent any flare-up.

The eviction is the latest in a series of drives launched since Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma assumed office in 2021, with Bengali-speaking Muslim settlements repeatedly singled out for removal from government and forest land across the state. Critics have accused the BJP-led government of selectively targeting the community—often labelled “Miya” in political discourse—while Sarma has defended the campaigns as essential to protect Assam’s indigenous populations and reclaim public land from “illegal encroachers”.

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Human rights groups and opposition leaders condemned Sunday’s action, warning of an escalating humanitarian crisis as winter approaches. Thousands displaced in similar drives over the past four years remain without permanent rehabilitation, living in makeshift camps or with relatives. The Assam government, however, maintained that the demolitions are strictly legal and non-negotiable, signalling no let-up in its aggressive land-reclamation policy in the coming months.

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