The Assam government displaced over 1,400 Bengali-origin Muslim families to establish a power project, raising concerns about land acquisition practices and rehabilitation.
On Sunday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma initiated the foundation laying ceremony for a 3,200 MW thermal power project by Adani Power Limited in the Dhubri district. The project is situated in Charuabakhra, Chirakuta I and II, and Santoshpur villages under Chapar revenue circle.
In July 2025, the Assam government displaced over 1,400 Bengali-origin Muslim families from nearly 1,157 acres of land in these villages to establish the power project. The land was initially allotted to the state-run Assam Power Distribution Company Limited and later transferred to Adani Power Limited for the venture.
According to reports, nearly 10,000 Bengali-origin Muslims living in the area for decades were displaced due to the demolitions. Residents had stated that many were 'erosion-hit people who lost their ancestral homes due to the Brahmaputra'.
The district authorities had allocated 300 bighas in Baizar Alga village to rehabilitate the affected persons and earmarked Rs 50,000 in a one-time relief to help them transport their belongings. However, some residents were unwilling to move to the site because it is a low-lying riverine area in the middle of the Brahmaputra river.
The Expert Appraisal Committee under the Union environment ministry recommended granting environmental clearance to Adani Power Limited’s proposed coal-based thermal power plant on July 14, 2025. In its submission for environmental clearance, the company claimed there were no habitations at the site and therefore involved no rehabilitation or resettlement claims.
However, residents affected by the evictions disputed this claim. Abdur Rashid Sheikh, a resident, told Scroll that the Assam government had already cleared the project site through 'forceful eviction drives', leaving 1,400 families without homes or rehabilitation and resettlement.
Since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in Assam in 2016, multiple demolition drives have been conducted across districts, mostly targeting areas populated by Bengali-speaking Muslims. At least eight Muslims have been shot dead during evictions carried out since 2016.
Source:
Scroll.in
