Goalpara eviction drive: Muslim man dead, dozens injured in police firing
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Assam: A Muslim man was killed and dozens injured on Thursday when Assam Police allegedly opened fire on protesters during an eviction drive in the Paikan area of Goalpara district, turning the operation violent. The drive, a joint action by the Assam Police and Forest Department, aimed to clear encroachments in the Paikan Reserve Forest, but escalated after locals resisted the eviction.
The deceased has been identified as Qutub-uddin Sheikh, while another individual was critically injured and rushed to a hospital in Guwahati, according to reports from NorthEast Live. Tensions reportedly flared when residents, primarily Bengali-speaking Muslims, began pelting stones and attacking security personnel with sticks and sharp weapons as the eviction unfolded.
Officials stated that approximately 140 hectares of land were being cleared, resulting in the displacement of 1,080 families, most of whom claimed to have been residing in the area long before it was declared a reserved forest. Just weeks earlier, on June 16, homes of 690 families were demolished in Hasilabeel, a wetland near Goalpara town, as part of the state’s ongoing eviction campaign.
The violence occurred a day after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reiterated his government’s aggressive stance on encroachments. In a social media post on Wednesday, he wrote, “Evictions will continue, safeguarding our forests and land rights of the indigenous people will continue, crackdown on illegal infiltrators will continue.”
Speaking on July 8 about a similar eviction in Kokrajhar, Sarma defended the removal of “350 illegal Bangladeshis,” saying, “If anyone has a problem… they will have to bear it.” He doubled down on July 9, warning that anti-encroachment drives would proceed in full swing, and anyone threatening violence would be dealt with accordingly.
The eviction has sparked strong political reactions. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the drive, calling it a targeted attack on Bengali-speaking Muslims. He criticised the demolition of over 2,000 homes in Dhubri and Goalpara, labelling it a “state-sponsored pogrom” and a violation of Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and personal liberty.
Speaking at a rally in Chaygaon, Kharge promised that if Congress came to power in Assam, it would rebuild the demolished homes and rehabilitate affected families. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi echoed Kharge’s concerns, describing the evictions as “state-sponsored fire” and accusing the BJP-led state government of displacing the poor to make way for industrialists like Adani and Ambani, rather than acting in the public interest.
The incident drew thousands of evicted residents to protest, reigniting memories of the 2021 Darrang district firing, in which two Muslim men, Saddam Hussain and Sheikh Farid, were shot dead by police during another anti-encroachment drive.
