"Evictions Fueling Unrest Across Assam", Says Citizens at Guwahati Meet

A Nagarik Sabha (citizen's meeting) opposing the ongoing eviction drives across Assam was held at the Guwahati Press Club on Friday, drawing participation from diverse communities and indigenous groups across the state. The gathering voiced strong resistance against what they called a systematic displacement of people to benefit powerful corporate interests. They also expressed the view that by evicting people from their land, the government is disturbing the peaceful environment of Assam.

Speakers at the meeting alleged that over 50,000 bighas of land have already been cleared by the state government under the pretext of eviction, primarily targeting marginalized and indigenous communities, while facilitating the transfer of this land to large business conglomerates.

“This eviction is not about restoring forest land or tackling encroachment - it's about making way for the powerful. The real aim is to hand over our ancestral land to corporate giants like Adani, Ambani, and Ramdev in the name of development," a speaker remarked.

The meeting observed that people from various ethnic, tribal, and religious communities across Assam are being affected by these evictions, with many speakers warning that such actions are disturbing the social harmony of the state.

A particularly sharp criticism came regarding the alleged communal undertones of the eviction policy. “The government is targeting Muslim households under the illusion of winning over the Hindu electorate. But in reality, it is the indigenous tribal and Adivasi people who are losing the most land.”

"Just like an elephant has separate teeth to show and different ones to chew, the government is saying one thing and doing another when it comes to eviction.”

Participants stressed that the eviction drives pose a serious threat to the rights of Assamese people over their land and natural resources. They also linked the escalation in such operations to the government’s push for the ‘Advantage Assam 2.0’ industrial initiative, claiming that it has intensified land clearing efforts across the state.

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