Eviction at Rengma forest enters 3rd phase; anguish among displaced, Nagas welcome move

Uriamghat, Aug 26: The third phase of the eviction drive in Assam’s Rengma Reserved Forest resumed on Tuesday, with bulldozers demolishing houses and structures in Hatidubi, Madhupar No. 1 and Rana Nagar.

The drive, led by the district administration, witnessed strong emotions on the ground as several families were displaced.

During the eviction, cries of anguish rang out from families who claimed they had been wrongly targeted despite being “indigenous settlers”. Residential homes, farmlands and even a mosque were among the structures demolished.

An evicted woman broke down at the site, questioning the rationale of the eviction. “We need a place to stay. The remaining ten houses nearby have been spared — are they on patta land? Are we Bangladeshis? We came from Guwahati, we are not illegal settlers. Why hasn’t the government made arrangements for us?” she said.

Another woman, who said her family had lived in the area for over four decades, asked why indigenous Muslim families were being evicted.

“We support action against illegal settlers, but why target indigenous Muslim people? My parents are from Borpathar, and my husband’s family is from Sarupathar. We have lived here since 1979, long before many others arrived. My daughter is in college, my son is in Class IX — what will happen to their future now?” she asked.

Echoing similar sentiments, another displaced woman said, “We are indigenous people, recognised as such by the government itself. If the authorities have taken over the land, they must rehabilitate us. Our fathers settled here decades ago; we grew up here. Now where do we go?”

Frustration was also directed at local representatives.

“The Chief Minister himself said indigenous Muslim families would not be evicted. Then why have we been targeted? We even went to our MLA who assured us we would not be evicted, but today our homes are gone,” one woman lamented.

Several evictees called for immediate rehabilitation measures, insisting they were not illegal settlers. “The government says it is targeting Miya encroachers, but why evict indigenous Muslim families along with them? We request proper rehabilitation,” another displaced resident urged.

Naga residents welcome eviction

While displaced families voiced anger and despair, sections of the local Naga community welcomed the eviction drive. A Naga resident expressed relief, saying the encroachments had long caused tensions between communities.

“We are happy the eviction is happening. The people who had occupied our land used to plant here and we faced difficulties. Both Assam and Nagaland suffered because of this issue. Now that eviction is taking place, we feel relieved,” he said.

The Uriamghat eviction drive is part of a wider state campaign to clear encroachments from reserved forest areas.

Earlier on August 2, the government cleared around 8,900 bighas of land allegedly encroached by illegal settlers in the area, followed by a second phase covering Ranangor, Hatidubi, Haldhibari, Durgapur, and No. 1 Madhupur.

However, on August 23, the proposed joint tree plantation programme on the recently cleared land in the disputed area belt (DAB) along the interstate border was abruptly cancelled following a closed-door meeting between officials of both states.