Over 1,000 Muslim families displaced in Assam eviction drive

More than 1,000 Muslim families have been displaced in eviction drives across three districts of India's Assam state, while allegations have also emerged that several mosques were demolished during the operations.

The state government carried out the drives in Nagaon, Hojai and Golaghat districts on Saturday and Sunday, with the Lutumari Longjap Reserved Forest area in Nagaon district reportedly suffering the most damage.

Around 314 hectares of land were cleared in the area on Sunday, affecting approximately 550 families. More than 500 additional families were evicted across the three districts on the previous day.

The All Assam Minorities Students' Union alleged that most of those evicted were Bengali Muslims and accused the authorities of targeting a particular community. However, the allegations of mosque demolitions have not been independently verified.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma described the eviction drive as the state's “fierce face” of development.

Residents of the Lutumari area said they had lived on more than 300 hectares of land within the reserved forest for decades. They claimed the government had temporarily rehabilitated some of them there in 1973.