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GUWAHATI, AUGUST 5: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday reasserted his government’s strong stand against land encroachment, warning citizens against giving shelter to those who have been evicted in current land clearance operations. He warned that these actions would jeopardize the gains made in obtaining land rights for the indigenous population of the state.
Addressing rallies at the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), Sarma underlined how the anti-encroachment drives are necessary for preserving the identity and destiny of the Assamese “jati” (community). “Our people should not provide them shelter,” he stated. “Otherwise, our stance, which got a little good due to evictions and other measures, will become bad again.”
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As per the chief minister, more than 29 lakh bighas exceeding 9.5 lakh acres of land in Assam are still under occupation. The government, he vowed, will keep undertaking eviction drives as long as people want it to. “Much to be done, and if people join hands with us, we will manage and safeguard our jati,” he said.
When asked if the evicted would find a place to resettle in other areas of the state, Sarma remarked that he feels the people are now more aware and would not help such activities. “Our people are aware now. I don’t think they will help much,” he remarked.
Sarma also restated his perception that most of the encroachers are “illegal Bangladeshis” or “doubtful citizens.” He further stated that the state government had no problem if the evicted people “returned from where they came from,” echoing his previous statements on the backgrounds of the people being evicted.
Speaking of the recent eviction drive in the Uriamghat region on the Assam-Nagaland border, the chief minister commended the smooth conduct of the operation, observing that it was carried out without any resistance and even with the support of local Naga citizens and their administration. “There is no Naga aggression there,” he stated.
Pointedly naming none, Sarma accused the encroachers of a host of social ills, attributing to them what he claims is the conversion of forestland into betelnut plantations and fisheries. “Who is doing ‘love jihad’? It is being done on us. Who has done ‘land jihad’? It is being done on us,” he argued. “We are the ones who ought to weep, but they are crying.”
In the last four years, the government of Assam asserts that it has cleared 1.29 lakh bighas—more than 42,500 acres—of encroached land, much of which Sarma states was held by illegal immigrants and those with dubious citizenship. The state intends to go on with such clearances phase-wise, starting with Village Grazing Reserves (VGR), Professional Grazing Reserves (PGR), Satras (Vaishnavite monasteries), Namghars (community prayer halls), forest lands, and other public assets.
To allay fears in the indigenous group, Sarma reaffirmed on Sunday that none of Indian or Assamese origins would ever be evicted. He asserted that unauthorised occupation by indigenous peoples would not amount to encroachment.
The top minister’s comments come in the midst of mounting political uproar over the eviction operations. The opposition parties and human rights groups have raised questions over the humanitarian fallout of the drives, particularly the displacement of vulnerable communities.
