About 580 people were impacted by the Assam government's renewed eviction campaign in the Goalpara area in western Assam on Sunday, November 9, 2025. The effort to clear 476 acres of encroached property in Dahikata Reserve Forest was met with no opposition, according to District Commissioner Prodip Timung. On Monday, the eviction drive will resume.
More than fifteen days ago, notices to leave the forest were sent to all 580 of the families that were occupying there. After receiving the notices, the majority of these settlers departed, he claimed.
According to Mr. Timung, the Gauhati High Court's orders were followed by the local authorities, who utilized dozens of excavators and sufficient security officers to demolish the illegal structures in the encroached area. The impacted individuals, who were primarily Muslims who spoke Bengali, said they had land records and had lived in the region for decades.
However, senior Forest Department officials stated that the region was a significant elephant corridor and a protected forest. Less than a week has passed since Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma promised to keep eradicating the encroachments and prevent the "illegal Miya" from living in peace while he was in office. Bengali speaking Muslims in Assam are called "Bangladeshi" and are derided by the word "miya."
Since Mr. Sarma assumed leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party led administration in May 2021, there have been several anti-encroachment campaigns, the most recent of which took place in Goalpara.
Muslims make up the majority of individuals who have been evicted thus far. The Chief Minister stated on July 21 that over 42,500 acres of land had been removed of encroachers since 2021 and that over 9.5 lakh acres still needed to be cleared.
