Nagaon District Launches Eviction Drive to Clear Encroached Land

The Nagaon district administration has initiated a significant eviction drive to reclaim 38 bighas of encroached government and forest land. This operation, supported by a large police presence, follows a previous eviction in the Lutamaari area. While many families have vacated voluntarily, concerns have been raised about the timing of the eviction, particularly regarding school-going children. Local residents are divided, with some supporting the government's actions to uphold land ownership laws. The administration plans to continue similar operations in the future as part of its efforts to clear encroachments across the district.

By Narendra Chaudhary Dec 5, 2025, 14:00 IST

Major Eviction Operation in Nagaon

Raha, Dec 5: In a significant move, the Nagaon district authorities, in collaboration with law enforcement and the Forest Department, initiated a large-scale eviction operation on Friday at Rupahihat, targeting 38 bighas of land that had been illegally occupied by settlers.

This action follows a similar eviction effort conducted in the Lutamaari region on November 29.

Officials reported that the operation aimed to reclaim forest land located in Bhakatgaon within Khatuwal Mouza. Prior to the eviction, notices were issued to over 100 families, instructing them to vacate the premises.

To ensure the operation proceeded without incident, a substantial security detail was deployed, comprising more than 1,000 police officers and four bulldozers.

Authorities indicated that approximately 80% of the encroached land had been vacated voluntarily, while the remaining families began to leave as the eviction progressed.

Senior officials from the district administration, police, and Forest Department were present to oversee the operation.

Some families expressed concern regarding the timing of the eviction, particularly one woman who highlighted the impact on children preparing for school examinations. She lamented, “What can we even say now? The government should have considered that school examinations are underway. Even they have children, don’t they understand this? They kept warning us to remove our belongings or the JCB would be used. We felt helpless.”

Conversely, a local resident supported the administration's actions, emphasizing the importance of legitimate land ownership. He stated, “The government took the right step. If someone wants to build a house, they should buy land legally. Why encroach on government property? We also wanted the encroachment removed because we didn’t know where these people came from.”

This operation follows an extensive eviction drive that took place in Nagaon’s Lutamaari Reserve Forest, where nearly 1,700 families were identified for allegedly encroaching upon 5,962 bighas of protected land.

That earlier drive, led by the Forest Department with the support of over 1,000 police personnel, was executed after settlers were given three months' notice to vacate the reserve forest area.

The Nagaon administration plans to continue similar eviction operations in the upcoming weeks as part of its ongoing initiative to reclaim government and forest land throughout the district.