Assam government resumes eviction drive against Bengali-origin Muslim families in Dhalpur
Homes of the same families had been bulldozed in a violent eviction drive in September 2021 in which two civilians were killed.
The Assam government on Monday evicted around 400 Bengali-origin Muslim families and bulldozed makeshift homes in the vicinity of the greater Dhalpur Char, a sandbar in the middle of the Brahmaputra river in Sipajhar, Darrang district.
These are the same families whose homes were razed in a violent eviction drive in September 2021, during which 1,418 houses, 48 shops and three mosques were torn down according to government estimates. Residents had estimated that about 7,000 people became homeless.
Two civilians had also died in Sipajhar on September 23, 2021, after the Assam Police opened fire at villagers protesting their eviction.
On Monday, the additional deputy revenue commissioner in Darrang told Scroll that those who were displaced from the area in 2021 had been asked to relocate to a designated patch of land in Dalgaon, around 40 kms from Dhalpur. The official described Monday’s evictions as part of a “periodic” eviction campaign to clear the government land that had been allegedly encroached upon.
The land is earmarked for the Gorukhuti Agricultural Project, according to India Today. It quoted Sipajhar Revenue Circle Officer Ritimani Das as saying that 620 families had been asked to move to Dalgaon, but they did not relocate despite orders. The homes of 397 families were demolished on Monday.
Wahab Ali, a 36-year-old driver, lost his home for the second time since 2021 on Monday. He told Scroll that his home, under a tin roof, was razed by an earth-moving machine.
“Five homes of my brothers were also demolished yesterday,” Ali said. “We built these temporary makeshift shelters with the demolished tin and bamboo remains of their old home. We spent the whole night under the open sky last night.”
Ali also claimed that they were not given adequate prior notice. “They [district officials] informed us on Saturday and came with bulldozers on Monday,” he said.
“The district officials threatened residents to dismantle themselves and clear the land within half an hour. Those who didn’t obey the district officials’ direction, those were bulldozed by the JCB [bulldozer].”
Also read: Four months after violent Assam evictions, displaced families say they got no relief from government
