Assam: 250 homes demolished in eviction drive

Authorities in Assam have intensified an eviction drive, bulldozing approximately 250 homes in the Kachutali-1 village over the past two days. This action comes two weeks after six people were shot dead by the police during protests over an earlier exercise of the evictions.

The second phase of demolitions started on September 24. Additional deputy commissioner Biswajit Saikia stated that the demolitions will continue on September 26.

These eviction operations from the vicinity of Scheduled Tribes are being carried out as part of wider efforts to remove “encroachments” in lands meant for them under the guidelines of the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation.

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The residents, primarily Bengali-origin Muslims, had been living there in makeshift homes for decades, often claiming ancestral ties to the land. Most families that were affected had received eviction notices and reportedly settled in what the government considered unlawful possession of land.

The situation escalated on September 12 after the officials attempted to enforce an eviction notice.

According to the reports, the residents also pelted stones at the police during the confrontation leading to a violent clash that resulted in the death of two Muslim teenagers from the village identified as Haidar Ali and Zubahir Ali.

More than 30 people were injured in this event, including police personnel. After the violence, residents sought legal recourse from the Gauhati High Court, which temporarily halted further evictions for certain families until their claims could be assessed.

Of the homes demolished on Wednesday, one belonged to 19-year-old Haidar Ali, his elder brother Hakim Uddin told Scroll.in.

Hakim said that the home was marked with red paint on September 22 after which the family feared that it would be bulldozed.

17 year old Zubahir Ali was killed during an eviction drive by the Assam police last week. The mother tells me that after the police pumped the body with bullets, they started beating the dead body of her son with lathis. They allege that no complaint has been registered yet pic.twitter.com/5sPQlqltw3

— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) September 25, 2024

However, despite these legal challenges, officials continued demolishing homes that had not been in the stay-order courts. The district administration has stated that these actions are aimed at preventing resettlement in the area.

As tensions remain high, the local community leaders and politicians have criticised the government condemning them for evicting the residents in violation of their legal rights and questioning the motives behind the eviction drives.

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