Homes of 132 Bengali Muslim families demolished in Assam's Lakhimpur

Authorities demolished the homes of 132 Bengali Muslim families in Assam's Lakhimpur on Friday. These families were living on a plot of government land in the Boginadi area, having been displaced during the riots that occurred across the state in 1983, according to a report by Scroll.

The families have alleged that officials targeted only "Muslim homes", as their Hindu neighbours were not removed from the land. The action has caused deep shock and resentment among the affected families.

According to information provided to Scroll by Raijor Dal leader Azizur Rahman, the homes demolished on Friday were located on approximately 9.9 acres of land out of 622.4 acres of land designated for professional grazing under the Kadam revenue circle in Lakhimpur. According to Rahman, the Assam government had settled these Bengali Muslim residents on this land after they were displaced in 1983. He further added that roads and schools had been built in this area and the residents' homes had also been provided with electricity connections. These facilities had increased the residents' confidence regarding their claim to the land.

According to Rahman's allegation, this demolition was "selective", as the homes of members of the Hindu community living on 595 acres of professional grazing land were not demolished. He termed this a clear violation of Article 14 of the Constitution, which ensures the fundamental right to equality for every citizen.

Fifty-year-old Mohammad Tushan Ali also spoke about this bias. Ali stated that two homes of his family were demolished on Friday, but no damage was caused to the homes of his Hindu neighbours living next to him. Ali and his family had been living on this land since being displaced from Barpeta in 1985. Ali further said that only Muslim homes were targeted and now the police are driving them out of this area towards the riverbank.

According to the Scroll report, in the last one month, the Assam government has evicted more than 1,900 Muslim families from their homes. On 1 November, officials demolished the homes of more than 640 Bengali Muslim families on 650 bigha of government-owned land in Alamganj Part-IX village of Dhubri district. Additionally, during a two-day operation on 18 October, more than 1,100 Muslim families were evicted in Nagaon, Hojai, and Golaghat districts.

According to data from the state's Revenue and Disaster Management Department and district authorities compiled by Scroll, approximately 19,000 families have been evicted from government land in Assam during the last ten years of BJP rule, most of whom are Muslim families.

Riots occurred across the state during the Assam Movement, which began in 1979, aimed at identifying and deporting undocumented immigrants. The movement was led by the All Assam Students Union and lasted until 1985. This movement was often directed against Bengali-speaking Hindus and Muslims, who were accused of being "Bangladeshis". Tension escalated in February 1983 when the central government announced assembly elections in Assam despite protests from the All Assam Students Union and the All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad. Following this sequence of events, thousands of people were displaced in the Brahmaputra Valley.