Authorities in Azara in Kamrup district, Assam, demolished hundreds of homes belonging largely to Muslim families on Saturday, citing alleged encroachment on land designated as a tribal belt.
The eviction drive, carried out by the Kamrup (Metro) district administration, targeted around 500 houses spread across roughly 737 bighas (about 245 acres) of land.
Officials said the area is legally reserved for tribal communities and that only tribal residents or those who settled there before its designation as a tribal belt are permitted to live on the land. Authorities had issued an eviction notice on February 27, giving residents 15 days to vacate before the demolition began.
Many of the affected residents, mostly Bengali-speaking Muslims, said they had been living in the settlement for nearly two decades after being displaced by floods and river erosion.
Some residents also claimed they had received government aid during that time, which they argue indicates their presence was known to authorities.
Videos shared online showed bulldozers tearing down bamboo-thatched houses while women and children stood nearby watching as police supervised the operation.
The eviction is part of a broader anti-encroachment campaign by the Assam government under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, which authorities say is aimed at protecting tribal land, forests, and wildlife areas from illegal settlement. Since 2024, similar drives across the state have reportedly cleared thousands of structures.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.