The Assam administration has concluded a massive, two-day anti-encroachment operation across Nagaon, Hojai, and Golaghat districts, reclaiming over 300 hectares of reserved forest land. Under heavy security, excavators dismantled the homes of more than 1,100 families, predominantly Bengali-origin Muslims.
The operation intensified on Sunday in Nagaon’s Lutumari Longjap Reserve Forest, where over 600 homes and 10 local mosques were cleared. This follows Saturday's simultaneous drives that displaced 547 families across the three districts.
The drive resumed swiftly after a temporary freeze due to regional Lok Sabha bypolls. Authorities acted after the Gauhati High Court rejected petitions from 500 residents claiming land rights, ruling that public forest conservation overrides private settlement claims.
"With the court rejecting their claims, the eviction drive is now being carried out to protect reserves," stated a senior forest official.
Conversely, displaced residents expressed deep distress over the lack of rehabilitation. "Our elders were settled here under the colonial-era system. We received this land in 1974," said Abdul Noor, an evicted resident.