Assam Government Intensifies Tribal Land Eviction Drive Near Guwahati Airport
In a significant development preceding the announcement of assembly election dates, the Assam government has dramatically escalated its campaign against illegal occupation of tribal land. On Saturday, the Kamrup (Metro) district administration initiated a substantial eviction operation in the vicinity of Guwahati airport, specifically within the Azara revenue circle.
Massive Land Clearance Operation Underway
The comprehensive drive specifically targets alleged encroachments by Muslim families on tribal land exceeding 700 bighas. The affected area, locally known among settlers as Islampur, had been home to more than 500 families prior to the eviction proceedings.
"The objective is to clear approximately 737 bighas of land, and today we successfully cleared around 200 bighas of encroached territory. This eviction initiative will persist in the coming days. Numerous Assam-type concrete residences and kutcha houses were demolished during the operation," stated a senior district administration official.
Generational Residency and Tribal Belt Regulations
The official further elaborated that some displaced families had established residence in the area for at least two generations. "The entire region constitutes a designated tribal belt where only tribal individuals, or families who settled there before the government's official declaration of the tribal belt, are legally permitted to reside," the official emphasized.
Administration representatives confirmed that 10 to 15 families presented claims of residing in the area prior to its tribal belt designation. Their documentation is currently undergoing verification processes, and consequently, their houses remained untouched during Saturday's operations.
Residents' Claims and Government Response
Residents facing displacement countered official claims by identifying themselves as indigenous Muslims rather than migrants. They described themselves as victims of severe erosion caused by the Brahmaputra River, which displaced them from their original homes.
Administration officials maintained that these families were unable to produce valid documentation establishing legitimate land rights or proving eligibility to reside within the protected tribal belt.
Eviction Process and Preceding Developments
Several families had proactively vacated the area in the days leading up to the formal eviction drive. On Saturday, bulldozers systematically demolished concrete homes and various structures that had been constructed within the settlement over multiple decades.
This eviction action follows a formal notice issued on February 27 by the circle officer of Azara revenue circle. The notice directed families incapable of producing documents proving their eligibility to live on the tribal belt land to vacate the premises within a strict 15-day timeframe.
Affected Families' Perspectives
A head of one affected family provided context, stating, "We are flood and erosion-affected people originally from Futuri in the nearby Palasbari constituency." Many families asserted they had inhabited the area for over two decades and had regularly received various government benefits during their residence.
The timing of this intensified eviction drive, occurring just before expected assembly election announcements, adds significant political dimension to this sensitive land rights issue affecting hundreds of Assam families.
