Muslim families face home demolitions in India’s BJP-ruled Assam
Goalpara: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) administration in Assam’s Goalpara district has demolished the homes of 73 Muslim families across five villages in Krishnai.
The affected families stated that they possessed valid land documents, including patta records. Many residents said they had relocated to the area after losing their homes and land to Brahmaputra River erosion in 2017.
Residents, local watchdogs, legal experts, and political observers have criticized the demolitions and raised serious concerns about the manner in which the action was carried out, particularly regarding due process, adequate notice, and the rights of affected families.
Such actions raise broader concerns about the protection of vulnerable communities, the security of their homes and property, and equal treatment under the law.
Residents and local watchdogs criticized the short 24-hour notice window, while legal and political observers raised concerns over due process and the speed of the Gauhati High Court scrutinized procedures surrounding rapid anti-encroachment campaigns in the state
Goalpara District Commissioner Pradip Timung said the affected families had purchased the land but constructed homes without obtaining the required change of land use from agricultural to residential, the Assam Tribune reported. He said the drive was aimed at protecting agricultural land, water bodies and natural drainage channels and denied any communal motive.
