Assam Chief Minister Announces Successful Eviction of Illegal Occupations

Eviction Campaign in Hojai District

Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Chief Minister of Assam, has announced that over 1,700 acres of reserved forest land in Hojai district has been cleared of illegal encroachments. He emphasized that any form of encroachment will not be tolerated.

In a post shared on social media, Sarma highlighted the eviction operation that reclaimed 1,732.5 acres in the Jamuna-Maudanga Reserved Forest (RF), declaring the end of illegal encroachments. The mission was completed through peaceful, legal, and decisive actions, recovering a total of 5,250 bighas of land.

Sarma stated, "No cheat codes are needed. Consider this a warning: illegal encroachments will not be tolerated." Since the government led by Sarma took office in 2021, several eviction drives have been conducted to clear land from alleged encroachers, primarily affecting the Bengali-speaking Muslim population.

During a press conference on New Year's, Sarma mentioned that eviction campaigns have successfully freed 145,000 bighas (approximately 47,850 acres) of land. He asserted that the eviction efforts would continue, stating that under his administration, illegal encroachers cannot live peacefully.

The term 'Miya' is often used derogatorily to refer to Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, with many non-Bengali speakers perceiving them as Bangladeshi immigrants.