press release on assam evictions
Socialist Party India
Press Release
Socialist Party (India) delegation visits victims of demolitions in 3 districts of Assam
A Socialist Party (India) delegation of 8 members visited three districts of Assam – Goalpara, Dhubri and Lakhimpur during 2-4 September, 2025 to meet families who have faced eviction from their homes and land.
We met some families out of the 667, all
Dated: 5 September, 2025 Muslims who speak Bengali language, evicted from Hasila Bill village of Goalpara district on 16 June at two private resettlement sites Karbala and Jannatpur, housing 300 and 161 families respectively. While the government says it wants to make this erstwhile revenue village a reserved forest area it has not paid any compensation to the people dislocated from here nor has it taken any responsibility for resettlement or rehabilitation. With no government support these families face an uncertain future and don’t know where to go. All these families possess proper documents like Adhar cards, Voters’ Identity cards, ration cards, PAN cards and even NRC proof to show that they are citizens of this country, yet government has left them stranded.
About 1200 families or 8,000 people, again all Bengali speaking Muslims, have been evicted from 3 villages – Chirakuta, Charuabakhra and Sonteshpur of Bilasipara falling in Dhubri district to make way for a proposed thermal power plant to be set up by Adani. Rs. 50,000 compensation has been given but this amount is inadequate compared to the loss suffered by displaced families. Out of these families 300 had their own land ownership documents and another 100 were given land by the government when they were displaced in 2018 to set up a school. There are 167 beneficiaries of PMAY who were also given land by the government and another 183 who built PMAY houses on their own land. The most serious allegation that people here made was that their names were being automatically deleted from the electoral rolls as they were receiving messages on their phones that Form 7 was being filled for them to remove them from electoral rolls. All these 1200 families possess proper documents like Adhar cards, Voters’ Identity cards, ration cards, PAN cards and even NRC proof to show that they are citizens of this country
In Phukanarhat Uttar Telahi GP of Lakhimpur district some 40 families in Ulubari village have either faced demotion of their houses or have been evicted from their agricultural lands. All this land belongs to the category of ‘grazing land’. These families have been charged with illegally occupying the government land. They include 14 Assamese families, including some Assamese speaking Muslims, 3 Adivasi and remaining Bengali Speaking Muslims families. In another village Singrasukh Rangashali of Lakhimpur district 150 houses have been demolished of families which include 14 Adivasi and remaining either Assamese or Bengali Speaking Muslims.
A pattern has emerged that mostly Bengali speaking Muslim families also called Miya Muslims are being targeted as their citizenship is being put under question even after all of them have made it to the NRC. Their eviction from their homes and lands is a violation of their fundamental rights and we condemn this selected targeting of families in this manner. It is quite clear that these demolitions are taking place as a political exercise for polarization of the society before the next Assembly elections. When the government has already conducted NRC what is the need to again target Bengali speaking Muslim families?
When we visited Bilasipara on 3 September we were not allowed to meet the people from 3 villages who have been evicted. As we were unable to obtain administration’s permission to visit the site we returned but as soon as we turned back we heard of the detention of leaders associated with Raijor Dal and its organisaitons, Ashraful Islam and Akhtar Hussin who were assisting us in meeting the displaced families. Ashraful was let go at 9 pm but a false case was filed against Akhtar and he had to obtain bail from the court. We condemn this high handed ways of the administration and government in dealing with activists who are bravely fighting for the fundamental rights of common people, like right to life and liberty.
We also made a visit to the Holding Centre in Matia in the Goalpara district. In 2020 PM had announced from the Ramlila Grounds that no detention centres were being built in the country. To prove him wrong Khudai Khidmatgar and Socialist Party (India) had organized a bus journey from Delhi to Goalpara. However, we were stopped at W. Bengal-Assam border and told to go back. But finally we were able to see this centre, even though from outside only, which proves that the PM was misleading the people.
The delegation included Sandeep Pandey, Syed Tahseen Ahmad, Sarbjit Kaushal, Niya Tapo, Rajni Rani, Shahid Kamal, Syed Abubakr and Biju Borbaruah.
We demand that the government of Assam rehabilitate all families who have lost their homes and lands and respect their rights as citizens instead of trying to take it away.
Sandeep Pandey, Secretary General, Socialist Party (India), socialist...@gmail.com
Syed Tahseen Ahmad, Chairperson, Parliamentary Board, Socialist Party (India), 9654079528
Biju Borbaurah, Observer, SP(I), Assam, 7002793811