New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday ordered a halt to the ongoing eviction and demolition drive in Uriamghat and nearby villages of Assam’s Golaghat district, where the state government had launched one of its largest operations targeting over 2,000 Bengali Muslim families, reported the Maktoob.
A bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Atul S. Chandurkar directed the maintenance of status quo while issuing notice on a petition challenging the Gauhati High Court’s refusal to protect the affected residents.
The petitioners argued before the court that they are “long-settled residents” who have lived on the land for over seven decades, pointing to electricity connections, ration cards, and inclusion in electoral rolls as proof of state recognition. They also claimed the eviction drive violated provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, as well as the Assam Rules of 2015.
Authorities had earlier issued eviction notices in July under the Assam Forest Regulation, 1891, claiming the villages fall within the Doyang and South Nambar Reserved Forests. Residents were given only seven days to vacate. The Gauhati High Court upheld the government’s stance, calling the villagers “trespassers,” which led the petitioners to move the Supreme Court.
The petition also invoked fundamental rights under Articles 14, 19, 21, 25, and 300-A of the Constitution, citing the apex court’s earlier ruling that demolition or displacement requires prior notice, an opportunity of hearing, and rehabilitation measures.
In July 2025, the Assam government launched what it termed one of its largest eviction drives, seeking to clear nearly 15,000 bighas (around 4,900 acres) of land in the Uriamghat area of the Rengma Reserve Forest. The operation targeted approximately 2,700 families, mostly Bengali-origin Muslims, who claim decades of settlement.
This move was part of a wider campaign, during which over 3,500 families were evicted across four districts between June and July, displacing nearly 50,000 people since Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma assumed office.
The campaign has also triggered violence. In Goalpara district on July 17, eviction turned deadly when police firing killed a 19-year-old Muslim youth and injured several others, including police personnel.
The Supreme Court’s intervention has now brought temporary relief to thousands facing displacement in Golaghat, with the matter scheduled for further hearings.
