Evictions Without Humanity: Intellectuals Slam Assam Government’s Actions

In a powerful collective appeal, a group of over 50 eminent citizens of Assam—including writers, intellectuals, environmentalists, journalists, and rights activists—have issued an urgent public statement condemning recent waves of mass evictions in the state. The appeal highlights severe human rights concerns arising from the eviction of thousands of impoverished people across districts like Dhubri, Goalpara, and Golaghat, many of whom are long-term Indian citizens.

The statement paints a grim picture of families who have lived for generations on the evicted land, now forced to survive without shelter, food, or rehabilitation. In many cases, residents of government-recognised revenue villages were served abrupt notices—or none at all—before being removed, often with brute force.

Despite official documentation and historical settlement records, the evicted families are facing a rising tide of hostility and suspicion. The signatories express anguish over the fact that many displaced persons are being falsely labelled as "illegal infiltrators" on social media, subjecting them to public slander and further social isolation. Even in cases where the state government has acknowledged their Indian citizenship—such as those evicted from Chapar-Bilasipara in Dhubri for a thermal power project—they continue to face vilification.

In Goalpara's Paikan and Hasila Beel, residents of revenue villages were similarly branded as encroachers, despite clear evidence to the contrary. After eviction, tarpaulin shelters erected by displaced families were forcibly removed in the midst of heavy rainfall on July 13—an act captured on video and circulated widely. Days later, on July 17, tensions escalated into violence during a confrontation between forest officials and evicted families, culminating in gunfire and the death of at least one displaced person.

A new wave of distress is unfolding in Uriamghat, Golaghat district, where many evicted persons, having received notices, began returning with belongings to their ancestral districts of Nagaon and Morigaon. However, their journey has been obstructed by members of vigilante organisations such as the Lachit Sena. In areas like Kaliabor, Samaguri, and Hojai, untrained civilians reportedly set up informal checkpoints, demanding documentation and denying passage to those they deem "suspicious"—forcing many to remain on the roadside, starving and shelterless inside trucks and vans.

“This is nothing short of a humanitarian crisis,” the statement warns. “These families are Assamese citizens. Many are descendants of settlers whose villages were wiped off the map by the Brahmaputra decades ago.”

The appeal also highlights the historic case of Dhumkura, a once-thriving region in northern Morigaon that was completely eroded by the Brahmaputra nearly fifty years ago. Originally settled in the late 19th century by people brought from East Bengal during British rule, the residents of Dhumkura lost their land and scattered across districts like Karbi Anglong, Golaghat, and Sivasagar. Many of today’s Uriamghat evictees are the descendants of those displaced families.

“In today’s legal framework, these individuals are being asked to prove the location of ancestral lands that no longer exist,” the statement notes. “When their villages have been swallowed by the river, how can they name a current resident or produce a witness?”

The signatories have made the following key demands:

1. Immediate cessation of illegal roadblocks and harassment of evicted individuals returning to their ancestral districts. The government must prevent vigilante groups from taking the law into their own hands.

2. Strict adherence to legal norms during eviction drives, including advance notice, compliance with court orders, and provision of food, shelter, and safety during and after eviction.

3. Rehabilitation and compensation for all displaced families in line with their constitutional and humanitarian rights.

They urge the people of Assam to stand with the evicted, not vilify them. “This is not just a legal issue—it is a test of our humanity,” the appeal concludes.

Signatories:

• Dr. Hiren Gohain

• Dr. Apurba Kumar Baruah

• Harekrishna Deka (EX-DGP)

• Ajit Kumar Bhuyan (Rajya Sabha MP)

• Abdul Mannan

• Dr. Manorama Sharma

• Dr. Indranee Dutta

• Arupa Patangia Kalita

• Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury

• Paresh Malakar

• Jyotirmoy Jana

• Abdul Salam

• Masaddar Hussain

• Rajen Kalita

• Deepak Goswami

• Sailen Borkotoky

• Dwijendra Narayan Sharma

• Ranjan Choudhury

• Moina Goswami

• Ranjit Bhuyan, Tezpur

• Abani Kumar Sutradhar

• Kulesh Chandra Sarma

• Shubhrangshu Ranjan Deb

• Manoj Rai

• Mayur Chetia

• Padma Lochan Nath

• Subrata Chakravarty

• Nabajyoti Borgohain

• Dipen Kakoti

• Biren Kumar Nath, Dhalai Bil (Sonitpur)

• Najib Ahmed, Guwahati

• Anup Kumar Roychowdhury

• Jagannath Das, Bhetapara

• Nandita Chakraborty, Digboi

• Bipul Dev Sharma

• Deepak Sarkar

• Debajit Choudhury, Environmentalist, Chaygaon

• Abha Rani Devi, Chaygaon

• Rupalim Dutta

• Pankaj Kumar Das

• Purabi Saikia

• Gunin Choudhury

• Romen Singh Rabha

• Deepak Sharma

• Rituraj Kalita

• Jyotirmoy Sarma

• Dr. Shibajit Dutta

• Shams Kabid, Kamrup

• Dimbeshwar Koch

• Saifuddin Ahmed

• Dilip Kumar Bordoloi

• Subrata Talukdar

• Zamser Ali, Journalist

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