What was initially described as a ‘voluntary’ eviction near Paikan in Assam’s Goalpara district has turned deadly, claiming one life and leaving several others injured, with the fate of many families now hanging in the balance.
Following the recent eviction near Paikan, Assam Police personnel and forest department officials reportedly opened fire on residents of Ashudubi, a revenue village, after tensions escalated.
One person was killed and several others sustained injuries. Police officials claimed that an angry mob set a primary school on fire during the chaos, while multiple forest and police officials were also injured. Several critically injured residents were shifted to Guwahati for treatment.
At the emergency ward of Gauhati Medical College on Thursday afternoon, Kulsum Shaikh waited anxiously outside the X-ray chamber, as her 20-year-old son, Kasimuddin Shaikh, struggled for his life. “Doctors said that a bullet is lodged in the back of his neck,” said Abbas Shaikh, Kasimuddin’s uncle, speaking to EastMojo. Kasimuddin, the only earning member of his family, was among the 1,400-odd families evicted from Ashudubi on July 12.
Earlier that morning, 19-year-old Shakowar Ali was declared dead upon arrival at a government hospital. Both Kasimuddin and Shakowar, along with many others, were living in makeshift shelters when forest and local police officials ordered them to vacate on Wednesday.
“Some local organisations had donated tarpaulin tents. We were living in one of those camps when they came and started dismantling it,” said Abbas. “By Thursday morning, the situation became tense. Hundreds of police and forest officials, led by a Goalpara forest officer, were digging a pit with a JCB on the road connecting Ashudubi and Bansbari.”
According to Zila Parishad member Rasul Al Faruq, tensions rose when villagers pleaded with forest and police officials to restore road connectivity disrupted by the pit.
“Forest department officers, led by Jagadish Barman, ignored repeated pleas from locals. Some evicted families were not even allowed to stay under tarpaulin shelters and had begun moving their belongings,” Faruq told EastMojo. “The officer was adamant about cutting off access to the village. When the argument escalated, several eyewitnesses claimed that Barman and a police officer ordered the personnel to open fire on the crowd.”
Police, however, offered a different version. Officials stated that an angry mob armed with bamboo poles and sticks had surrounded them despite specific orders for the evicted persons to vacate the area.
“Our men had to resort to firing, during which one person died and several others were injured, including 10 forest and police personnel. The mob later set fire to a local school, damaging a large portion of it,” Inspector General of Police Akhilesh Singh told EastMojo. Singh added that police are now examining video footage as part of their investigation. When asked whether tear gas was used to disperse the crowd, a senior official said the situation escalated too rapidly for non-lethal options.
Locals, however, maintain that many families had vacated the land voluntarily before July 12, following eviction notices issued to 1,080 families occupying 140 hectares. The Paikan Reserve Forest, under the Krishnai Range of Goalpara, was declared in 1982. “My family and many others were displaced by floods long ago. We settled here because there was no higher ground. The actual forest is at least three kilometres from our makeshift shelters,” said Abbas.
Faruq pointed out that the Assam Government could have delayed the eviction, especially since the Gauhati High Court is set to hear a case involving some of the evictees, some of whom claim to own revenue land.
“The matter is scheduled for July 21. What was the urgency? What have they achieved by applying such force on our people?” asked Faruq.
Meanwhile, the state government’s ongoing drive against what it calls “encroached” government land has heightened concerns among vulnerable communities, many of whom face repeated displacement due to floods and erosion.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently announced that over the past four years, more than 50,000 people have been evicted from 160 square kilometres of government land. “Goalpara itself has seen two major evictions this month alone. Where are these people supposed to go?” Faruq asked.
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