A government-led eviction drive in Assam’s Goalpara district turned deadly on Thursday morning when a clash erupted between security forces and evicted settlers in the Paikan Reserve Forest near the Meghalaya border. One civilian was killed, and several others, including five to six police and forest personnel, were injured after police opened fire in response to an attack by evicted residents living in makeshift tents, officials said.

The joint operation by Assam Police and the Forest Department aimed to clear encroached land in the 711-hectare forest. Tensions escalated when settlers, reportedly from Bidyapara and Betbari, pelted stones and attacked with sticks, damaging equipment. Additional forces were deployed to control the volatile situation.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma defended the evictions, citing a need to counter “demographic invasion.” The opposition, led by Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, condemned the drives as divisive, alleging favoritism toward industrialists and targeting of minority communities.

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