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The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
309 families evicted from Assam grazing reserve
The authorities in northeastern Assam's Biswanath district evicted 309 families from a village grazing reserve (VGR) on Sunday (August 17, 2025). Officials in the district said some 600 security personnel, 20 excavators, and 10 bulldozers were deployed to clear 175 bighas or 23 hectares of land in the Japariguri VGR from encroachment. District Commissioner Simanta Kumar Das said many families dismantled their houses and left after receiving notices on August 1 to vacate within 15 days. 'The remaining structures, including a tea garden, were demolished,' he said. The encroachers, officials said, were mostly Bengali-speaking Muslims. While organisations of indigenous communities have backed such eviction drives, the All-Assam Minority Students' Union said the Biswanath exercise was carried out inhumanely and demanded a pause until the government ensures rehabilitation of the people targeted. CM's 'hate-driven propaganda' In his Independence Day speech, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma vowed to continue such eviction drives to free forestlands, grazing lands, and government revenue lands from encroachers of 'doubtful citizenship'. He also warned the indigenous communities about a future where they will be at the mercy of 'strangers' unless they defend their cultural identity. Assam MLA and All-India United Democratic Front general secretary Rafiqul Islam criticised the Chief Minister for defaming Muslims. He also said the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Assam government has been systematically keeping Muslim officers away from key positions. Terming the Chief Minister's Independence Day speech as 'hate-driven propaganda' to polarise the people on religious lines, he told agencies that the BJP-led government has consciously not appointed any Muslim as the District Commissioner or Superintendent of Police, although there are several Muslim IAS and IPS officers in Assam.
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Assam: NSA to be clamped on some of the arrested in pro-Pakistan stance case, says CM
Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that out of 43 people who were arrested for pro Pakistan stance post Pahalgam terror attack, National Security Act (NSA) will be clamped on at least four or five of them. These are habitual stated in X, 'Update on crackdown against traitors for defending Pakistan on Indian soil. Shahidul Islam arrested by @Barpeta_PoliceTotal 43 anti-nationals have been put behind BARS for sympathising with Pakistan. No TRAITOR will be SPARED.'The chief minister told media persons, 'On selected people NSA will be applied. Government has directed district magistrate wherever required and where there is no scope of rectification and in view of the situation prevailing in the country, the district magistrate will be at liberty to impose NSA. I think we will see four or five people booked under NSA.'Sarma had earlier said,' Assam will take the strongest possible action against anyone who dares to defend--directly or indirectly--the horrific, Pakistan-sponsored terror attack in Pahalgam.'All-India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA Aminul Islam was earlierarrested by Assam police following his controversial remark on Pahalgam terror Islam, an MLA of the opposition party AIUDF, claimed the suicide bombing of a convoy of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Pulwama in February 2019, and the killing of 26 tourists in Pahalgam were "conspiracies by the government".The Assam Police filed a case suo motu against Islam after a video of his comment went viral on social media.
