Goalpara, Assam – A 50-year-old Muslim man was killed and several others were injured when Assam Police opened fire during a violent eviction drive in the Paikan Reserve Forest area of Goalpara district on Thursday. The deceased has been identified as Qutub-uddin Sheikh, while another critically injured person has been shifted to a hospital in Guwahati for treatment, according to NorthEast Live.
The eviction operation, jointly conducted by the Assam Police and the Forest Department, aimed at clearing encroachments from 140 hectares of land in the Paikan Reserve Forest. The area has been home to over 1,080 families, most of whom are Bengali-origin Muslims. Residents claim they had settled in the area long before it was declared a reserved forest.
Tensions erupted as displaced residents reportedly resisted the eviction by pelting stones and using sticks and sharp weapons against security forces. The police responded with force, leading to casualties and widespread unrest.
This incident comes in the wake of another major demolition drive on June 16 in Hasilabeel, a wetland near Goalpara town, where homes of 690 families were razed. The back-to-back evictions have triggered widespread protests and political condemnation.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has doubled down on the government’s stance, stating firmly on X , “Evictions will continue. Safeguarding our forests and land rights of the indigenous people will continue. Crackdown on illegal infiltrators will continue.”
During a July 8 address in Kokrajhar, Sarma further remarked, “If anyone has a problem with the removal of 350 illegal Bangladeshis, they will have to bear it,” emphasizing the state government’s resolve to carry forward the eviction drives regardless of opposition or backlash.
On July 9, he reiterated that anti-encroachment actions would persist, warning that any resistance would be dealt with “accordingly.”
The eviction drive has drawn strong criticism from opposition leaders. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge termed the demolitions as a “state-sponsored pogrom,” alleging that they specifically targeted Bengali-speaking Muslims and violated the constitutional right to life and dignity under Article 21.
At a public rally in Chaygaon, Kharge pledged that if Congress returned to power in Assam, it would reconstruct demolished homes and provide full rehabilitation to affected families.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi echoed these sentiments, accusing the BJP-led government of displacing the poor to clear land for corporate giants like Adani and Ambani. He described the evictions as a “state-sponsored fire.”
The unrest in Goalpara has reignited memories of a similar police firing incident in 2021 in Assam’s Darrang district, where two protesters—Saddam Hussain and Sheikh Farid—were shot dead during an anti-encroachment operation.
Thousands of evicted residents and supporters have since joined in protests against the government’s actions, demanding justice and immediate relief.
