Eviction drive in Assam’s Nagaon district called off after voluntary demolition

The authorities in central Assam’s Nagaon district called off a scheduled operation on Wednesday (August 27, 2025), after the alleged encroachers voluntarily demolished their structures ahead of the planned eviction at Jengoni in the Dhing area.

District officials said Debasish Sarma, the District Commissioner, had visited the area on August 22, 2025 and appealed to the encroachers to surrender their land peacefully instead of resisting eviction.

“The Jengoni settlers began demolishing their houses around 10 p.m. on Tuesday (August 26, 2025). We did not conduct the eviction drive because of their voluntary demolition,” Dhing’s Circle Officer Sourabh Kumar Das told the media.

He said the encroachers demolished as many as 120 business establishments and 51 houses to clear 28 bighas of government land.

Responding to the development through social media platforms, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “The tide is turning. The encroachers who were earlier fighting our eviction drives are now supporting it... The best way forward is compliance over confrontation.”

Officials in Nagaon said eviction notices were served to encroachers in seven other arears under the Dhing Revenue Circle, encompassing 1,047 bighas of land.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress leader, Debabrata Saikia has petitioned the Assam Human Rights Commission to take cognisance of the “continuous violation of human rights” by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led State government against minorities, indigenous communities, and erosion-hit families through eviction drives”.

Mr. Saikia alleged that the government displaced Christian tribals apart from Muslims with its anti-encroachment agenda that “undermined constitutional values, violated court orders, and ignored India’s obligations under international human rights conventions”.

Flagging alleged misuse of forest land for police infrastructure without the Centre’s clearance, he urged the commission to ensure the constitutional rights of the people are safeguarded and those behind the forced evictions are held accountable.