More than 4,000 residents were displaced as a result of the demolition of over 640 homes of Bengali Muslim families in Assam’s Dhubri district.
On Sunday, an eviction drive was carried out by authorities in Assam’s Dhubri district, resulting in the displacement of more than 4,000 residents. Specifically, the homes of over 640 Bengali Muslim families were demolished on 650 bighas of government-owned land in Alamganj Part-IX village.
According to Dhubri District Commissioner Dibakar Nath, eviction notices had been served to residents occupying 800 bighas of land. However, the drive was not executed on the remaining 150 bighas due to pending court cases.
Nath stated that the land would be transferred to the industrial department for an industrial park development. He emphasized that any further decisions would be made by the government.
Residents have contested the claim that they settled on government land in different phases and asserted that most of them possess land elsewhere. Ali Chand Fakir, an 80-year-old resident of the village, disclosed that he had previously taken apart portions of his house before the eviction and has resided there since 1962.
Several residents have paid land revenue under the touzi system between 1972 and 2016. Videos circulating on social media showed residents dismantling their homes and moving their belongings prior to the demolition drive.
The eviction drive in Alamganj's Ninth Block triggered emotional scenes on November 1, with a woman fainting as her house was destroyed and residents seen praying at a mosque and breaking down near a shrine. Over 50 bulldozers were deployed to clear the area.
This eviction is part of an escalation in demolition drives by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Assam government, with around 19,000 families, primarily Muslims, being evicted from government land in the past ten years.
Source:
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