In the key encroachment drive, nearly 397 acres of land will be cleared. Thousands of CRPF and Assam police battalions have been deployed in the Hidubi area of Batadrava, the birthplace of Vaishnavite reformer Guru Sankardev in the 15th century.
The Assam government launched a major eviction drive in Batadrava, Nagaon district, on Monday morning in an effort to crackdown on ‘illegal’ encroachments. The mission of the drive is to remove ‘illegal’ encroachments by Muslim migrants in the area.
In the key encroachment drive, nearly 397 acres of land will be cleared. Thousands of CRPF and Assam police battalions have been deployed in the Hidubi area of Batadrava, the birthplace of Vaishnavite reformer Guru Sankardev in the 15th century.
According to officials, the eviction drive will begin on Monday in and around Batadrava and will likely last several days after that. According to officials, a survey was conducted in the area to identify ‘illegal encroachments’ prior to the eviction drive. According to the sources, district administration officials claimed that around 1,000 alleged encroacher families received notices in October asking them to clear the land.
“Civil admn had previously issued notice because these are the government’s plots of land,” said Leena Doley, Superintendent of Police for Nagaon district. Security personnel have been camping here since December 13 and conducting flag marches. Many of the encroachers have already left.”
Meanwhile, hundreds of families living on the ‘encroached’ land have left the area ahead of the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam government’s demolition drive. After heavy security was deployed, many of them dismantled their homes and moved on. The administration made public the eviction drive and asked all illegal occupants to leave with their belongings.
On September 12, Chief Minister Sarma told the Assam Assembly that since the BJP-led government took power for the second time in May last year, a total of 4,449 families had been evicted across the state for alleged encroachment. According to Sarma, the government did not conduct any investigation into the citizenship of evicted families to determine whether they were Indian nationals or foreigners.
He also stated that the government was “not aware” if the families who encroached on government land were homeless due to erosion, which is a common claim made by such victims. According to the chief minister, rights such as ‘Shelter over Head’ are only available for legal occupation, and the right to property is not a fundamental right.