Uriamghat evictions roll into Day 2 amid protests, pleas, & court directive

Uriamghat, July 30: The second day of Assam’s largest-ever eviction operation resumed in full force on Wednesday in the Uriamghat region, with bulldozers rolling into Sonari Beel and Pithaghat to demolish what authorities describe as “decades-old illegal encroachments”.

Led by the Forest Department and backed by the Golaghat district administration and Assam Police—with coordination from Nagaland Police—the operation has razed homes, markets, religious structures, and at least one school.

"We started at 7 am and about 70% work is complete. The drive will go on for another hour today. Since the area if large, we don't know for how long this drive will continue," said MK Yadava, Chief Forest Conservator.

District Commissioner (DC) Golaghat, Pulak Mahanta informed that the authorities have managed to clear 250 hectares of land by Wednesday. "We have cleared around 250 hectares of land so far. Along with houses, betel nut plantations have also been demolished. The eviction drive has remained peaceful so far," said Mahanta.

However, the pace and scale of the drive have triggered sharp resentment among evicted families, many of whom claim they were caught off guard.

Ali Kazi, an occupant, said people had lived in the area since the late 1970s. “We had electricity, schools, water pipelines—now we have nothing. We’re living under plastic sheets. It’s inhuman. If we were illegal, why were we given PMAY homes and Jal Jeevan Mission pipelines?”

Some organisations such as the Miya Satra Parishad have warned of state-wide protests if resettlement isn’t assured. “If 35 lakh Bodos could demand Bodoland, why can’t 1.4 crore Miya Muslims ask for Miyaland?” said a spokesperson, adding that they would take the agitation “to its logical end”.

Amid rising anger, the Gauhati High Court has issued an interim directive regarding 73 applicants who sought relief from the eviction.

The court has instructed that no coercive action be taken against their properties till August 7. However, it did not grant a stay on the overall eviction.

Clarifying the legal position, BJP spokesperson and senior advocate Jayanta Goswami told The Assam Tribune, “Out of the 73 families who approached the High Court, the homes of 34 have already been demolished. Since the court’s order was received late at night, the eviction drive continued into Day 2.”

"The 70-something petitioners have said that they will evict the land within seven days," added Yadava.

While some community groups are demanding immediate rehabilitation and even threatening political mobilisation, others—particularly indigenous organisations—have strongly backed the drive.

“This is not communal, it’s about illegal land grabbing. Some families had occupied over 100 bighas each. The Chief Minister himself visited the area before the operation. We support this bold step,” said Chandra Lahakar, a local activist.

Calls have also grown for immediate fencing of the cleared land to prevent future re-encroachments.

Some activists claim that many settlements were encouraged by earlier regimes—particularly under former CM Golap Borbora in the 1970s and the first AGP government in the 1980s.

The administration further informed that the eviction drive will continue across more villages, including Anandpur, Dayalpur, Dalnipathar, Kherbari, Madhupur, Rajapukhuri, and Gelajan, over the coming days.

On Day 1, over 120 homes and commercial establishments were flattened in Bidyapur market, clearing 4.2 hectares of land with the help of more than 100 bulldozers.