Eviction Drives Part Of Larger Push To Counter Systematic Demographic Invasion In Upper Assam: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday defended the ongoing eviction drive and stressed its necessity not only to safeguard state’s forest cover but also to foil the larger conspiracy to alter the demographic profile of Upper Assam.

Informing that his government has reclaimed over 1,19,548 bighas (approximately 160 sq km) of land from alleged illegal settlers over the past four years (2021-2026), Assam chief minister told reporters that the state is facing systematic encroachment — both environmental and demographic — and that firm administrative action was necessary.

Mr Sarma said, “Encroachment and forest destruction are one aspect. The other, more dangerous aspect is the organised migration of people from various parts of the state with the intent to change the demography.”

He cited a recent eviction drive in Lakhimpur, where the government cleared 13,481 bighas of land from encroachment. Mr Sarma claimed that investigations have revealed that many of the evictees were not landless, but already owned homes in districts they had migrated from.

Giving specifics, the chief minister said that among those evicted in Lakhimpur were 74 families from Barpeta, 63 from Nagaon, 35 from Bangalmara, seven from Goalpara, and two each from Cachar and South Salmara districts.

“Why would someone from South Salmara travel over 400 km to Lakhimpur when West Bengal, with better job opportunities, is only 50 km away?” he asked, implying that the move was deliberate rather than economic.

He also pointed out individual cases, including one of Khaliluddin Ali from Nagaon and Abul Hasem Sheikh from South Salmara, both of whom, he said, had existing residences in their home districts.

Mr Sarma warned of a long-term demographic shift if unchecked settlement patterns is allowed to continue, particularly in districts like Golaghat and Jorhat, including areas such as Uriam Ghat, Titabor, and Mariani.

Mr Sarma pointed out that majority of these illegal settlers carry valid documents under the 1971 cut-off for citizenship under the Assam Accord, making it legally complex to tackle demographic shifts once these communities get onto the voter rolls.

“This is the reality — once names are in the voter list, it’s irreversible. The voter list revision cannot stop this invasion. If Assamese people don’t wake up now, after 20 years there will be nothing left to protect,” assertred Mr Sarma .

Regretting that some civil society groups, particularly in Guwahati, have been criticising the eviction drives, Mr Sarma said that ground-level organisations supported them.

The chief minister also acknowledged legal and procedural challenges, especially in forest areas like the Lumding Reserve Forest.

Mr Sarma also claimed that the government has completed only one part of the total eviction task it has planned.

“Of the estimated 23 lakh bighas of encroached land, we have freed only about 1 lakh bighas so far. This will take another 20 years at least. But if we don’t push back now, we will lose our forests, our land, and our identity,” said Mr Sarma while informing that his government has also ensured that there is no fresh encroachment of land anywhere in the state.

The Assam chief minister also shared the details of all the eviction drives that his government carried out to reclaim forest land that was affecting the natural habitat of wildlife. He also shared videos as to how authorities have succeeded in restoring the return of wildlife on these reclaimed forest lands.