Assam land eviction: 1500 Muslim homes targeted, Temple spared, allege Morigaon residents

In Assam’s Morigaon district, approximately 1,500 families who had settled on forest and railway land have begun vacating the area in response to a government directive. The order required residents to leave the land within ten days.

District Commissioner Devashish Sarma reported that the majority of families complied with the order. “A notice was served on June 12 asking them to clear the land within ten days, and most of them have complied,” Sarma said. The families, numbering around 10,000 people, had been residing in Silbhanga village in Jagiroad.

However, the eviction has led to accusations of bias. Residents claimed that Bengal-origin Muslim families were disproportionately targeted, with nearly all demolished homes belonging to Muslim families. Monuwara Begum, a 45-year-old woman with physical disabilities, expressed her distress, asking, “Why does the Assam government deprive and abuse us? Is it because we are Muslims?”

In a notable contrast, a Kali temple and nearby houses were left untouched. “They flattened the decades-old madrassa and broke the masjid wall but did not touch the Kali Mandir and the ashram,” said Abul Kashem, whose home was among those demolished.

Residents also alleged that the demolition continued despite a stay order issued by the Gauhati High Court on the morning of the eviction. Notices were reportedly posted on Muslim homes but not on Hindu residences. District officials cited plans for “developmental activities” as the reason for the eviction.

Sarma addressed the media, stating that the administration aimed to ensure a peaceful clearance without force or demolition of structures. “We held talks with the people, and they have agreed to do so with nearly 80 percent of them already shifting their belongings from the encroached land,” Sarma said.

Despite these assurances, many Hindu, Nepali, and Tiwa families’ homes were not demolished, even those adjacent to Muslim houses. A few Hindu families voluntarily dismantled their homes near the paper mill, but no Hindu homes were razed within the settlement.

The eviction has drawn criticism from opposition leaders. Congress parliamentarian Pradyut Bordoloi accused the BJP of targeting Muslims in retaliation for not voting for them in the recent Lok Sabha elections. However, BJP state unit head Bhabesh Kaita denied the allegations, stating, “Unauthorized encroachers ought to be evicted, and there is no connection with voting.”