More than 360 families were affected after the Assam government carried out an eviction drive to clear 87 acres of Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) land in the Baghmari area of Biswanath district, officials said.
The eviction operation was conducted by the district administration with heavy deployment of police and security personnel. Excavators were used to demolish houses and other structures built on the grazing reserve land, which is legally protected for community use, particularly for livestock grazing.
According to the district administration, notices had earlier been served to 435 families allegedly encroaching on the VGR land. However, 68 families approached the Gauhati High Court, following which eviction proceedings were temporarily halted. After the legal process was completed, the administration resumed the drive against the remaining over 360 families, officials said.
District authorities maintained that the eviction was carried out peacefully and in accordance with the law, adding that the reclaimed land would be restored to its original purpose. “Village Grazing Reserve land is meant for public use and cannot be allotted for private settlement,” an official said.
However, the eviction has triggered distress among the affected residents, many of whom claimed they had been living in the area for decades. Several families alleged that they were unaware the land was classified as a grazing reserve and said they had no alternative arrangements for shelter. “Our houses were demolished and we have nowhere to go now,” said one displaced resident.
The incident has once again brought the issue of rehabilitation and resettlement of evicted families into focus. Rights groups and opposition leaders have criticised the government for not announcing any immediate rehabilitation measures for those displaced.
The Assam government has been carrying out a series of eviction drives across the state as part of its policy to remove encroachments from government land, forest areas and grazing reserves. While the government argues that such drives are necessary to protect public land, critics say they disproportionately affect economically vulnerable communities.
Officials said the situation in the area remains under control and no untoward incidents were reported during the operation.
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