Akhil Gogoi Detained at Site of Mass Eviction in Chapar

During Assam’s largest-ever eviction drive, Sivasagar MLA and Raijor Dal Chief Akhil Gogoi was detained by police on Tuesday after he arrived at the eviction site in Chapar. The site—now the epicentre of political and humanitarian tension—is being cleared reportedly to pave the way for a proposed thermal power project to be handed over to the Adani Group.

The drive, being carried out in areas such as Santoshpur, Charuabakhra, and Chirakuta under Dhubri district, has already left nearly 20,000 people homeless. Estimates suggest that more than 2,000 families living on over 3,500 bighas of land have been forcefully evicted.

According to reports, Gogoi reached the eviction site riding a motorcycle, allegedly trying to avoid police interception. 

Gogoi later wrote in a Facebook post after being detained and taken to Chapar Police Station. “I cleverly reached the eviction site at Chapar on a motorbike. Now, the Dhubri SP has detained me and taken me to Chapar Police Station.”

Despite initial claims of a peaceful situation, chaos soon erupted following Gogoi’s arrival. Eyewitnesses said two JCB machines were vandalised, and police responded with a lathi-charge. Several individuals were reportedly injured in the ensuing commotion.

Police claimed they detained Gogoi as a preventive measure to avoid further escalation. However, locals criticized the move, alleging that the leader was not allowed to speak with the evicted families.

“It’s not right that a people’s representative who came to talk with us was detained this way,” said a local resident. “The police didn’t even let him speak to us.”

Interestingly, multiple sources stated that the situation was peaceful at the time of Gogoi's arrival and that he had cooperated with law enforcement officers until his detention.

The eviction itself—ordered under the direct instructions of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma—has stirred major controversy. Bulldozers moved in at dawn under tight security, dismantling homes and displacing thousands who claim to have been living in the area for decades.

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