No Peace for ‘Illegal Immigrants in Assam Under My Watch’: CM Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday issued one of his strongest warnings yet to those he labels as suspected illegal immigrants, asserting that they would “not find peace” in the state for as long as he remains at the helm.

Speaking soon after eviction drives concluded in Goalpara—and with fresh operations slated for Nagaon in the coming days—Sarma said his government would continue to intensify its campaign against individuals it believes are encroaching on government or forest land.

“As long as I occupy the Chief Minister’s chair, no Miya will sleep in peace. That is final,” Sarma declared, using a term commonly associated with Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam. “The only way they can hope for peace is to remove me from this position.”

The chief minister insisted that his administration was merely carrying out its “constitutional responsibility” to remove encroachers, and warned that public criticism of his government’s policies would invite even stronger measures.

“It is my job to take action against illegal settlers,” Sarma said. “They will continue to cry before the cameras—there is no escape for them.”

He also cautioned that those attending events organised by his political opponents would face similar scrutiny. According to Sarma, suspected illegal immigrants would “not be spared” whether they showed up at gatherings hosted by him or by prominent opposition figures such as Zubeen Garg, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, or senior Congress leader Rakibul Hussain.

Sarma hinted that avoiding public criticism of the BJP government might reduce friction, remarking, “It’s a different matter if they don’t speak against us.” Yet he underscored that eviction actions would continue irrespective of political noise.

“The more they speak, the more eviction drives we will undertake,” he said, directly tying the frequency of operations to public opposition.

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