Assam CM Urges Public to Deny Shelter to Evicted Persons

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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has publicly stated that residents should not provide shelter to people who have been evicted from government land. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Sarma said that providing housing to these individuals would jeopardize the progress the state has made through its anti-encroachment drives.

Sarma’s comments follow a series of ongoing eviction drives targeting what the government claims are illegal encroachments on forest and government lands. The Chief Minister asserted that the government would continue these drives to “protect our community” as long as the public continues to cooperate. He added that the evicted encroachers “should return from where they came from.”

When asked about the possibility of evicted people settling in other parts of the state, Sarma responded, “Our people are conscious now. I don’t think they will cooperate a lot. Our people should not give them shelter. Otherwise, our position which has become a little good through evictions and other steps, will become bad again.”

The Chief Minister also revealed that about 29 lakh bighas (over 9.5 lakh acres) of land is still under encroachment in the state. He stressed that significant work remains to be done and that public cooperation is essential to “protect our jati.”

Sarma has been vocal about his government’s commitment to clearing public land. He has previously stated that the government does not consider unauthorized occupation of public land by indigenous people as encroachment. On Sunday, he affirmed that the government would “never evict any Indian or Assamese people.”

Since May 2021, when Sarma took office, over 1.29 lakh bighas (more than 42,500 acres) of land have been cleared. Eviction drives have been carried out in various districts, including Dhubri, Goalpara, Lakhimpur, and Golaghat.