Tensions erupted into violence in Assam’s Goalpara district on Thursday morning as police opened fire on protesters during a face-off at the site of a recent eviction drive, leaving one civilian dead and several others injured, including multiple police personnel. #AssamEvictionClash
The deceased has been identified as Shakwar Ali, a resident, who succumbed to bullet injuries sustained during the clash. Two other civilians are undergoing treatment for gunshot wounds. The incident has intensified public scrutiny of the ongoing evictions in the state, which have displaced thousands in recent weeks. #ShakwarAli
Background: Large-Scale Eviction in Goalpara
The confrontation stems from an eviction drive carried out on July 12, in which around 1,080 families were removed from roughly 140 hectares of land in the Paikan Reserve Forest. Bulldozers razed homes during the drive, but at the time, the operation had reportedly occurred without resistance.
However, in the days that followed, many of the evicted families, left without housing alternatives, returned to the site and erected makeshift shelters made of tarpaulin and bamboo. Their continued presence escalated tensions between the displaced and the authorities.
Thursday’s Incident: Clash Turns Violent
On Thursday morning, police and forest officials returned to the area as part of what authorities described as a routine patrol, aiming to remove the temporary shelters. The visit quickly devolved into violence when residents, reportedly refusing to vacate, began resisting the officials’ efforts.
According to Inspector General of Police (Law & Order) Akhilesh Singh, the locals launched an attack on the officials during the operation. “They were on official duty when they were targeted by the crowd. Ten of our constables were injured, and there was significant property damage. To disperse the mob, force was used, including firing,” Singh stated. #AssamPolice
Three people were struck by bullets in the process. While one succumbed to his injuries, two others remain hospitalized.
Heightened Security Amid Ongoing Tensions
In light of the incident, additional security forces have now been deployed in the region. Approximately 1,000 personnel had been involved in the July 12 eviction, but some had been withdrawn after the operation concluded. Thursday’s violence has prompted renewed troop mobilization to regain control of the conflict-prone area.
“There have been repeated confrontations between locals and the authorities, especially when the administration tries to block off entry points to the cleared forest land,” said IGP Singh. #GoalparaTension
Larger Pattern: Evictions Across Assam
The Goalpara incident is not isolated. It forms part of a larger pattern of eviction drives carried out by the Assam government in recent months, covering four districts and displacing more than 3,300 individuals. Many of these evictions have taken place on what the government claims is encroached forest or government land.
This week, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma defended the evictions, stating that since his administration came to power in 2021, more than 50,000 people have been evicted from around 160 square kilometres of state land. The Chief Minister has maintained that reclaiming government property is part of his administration’s ongoing land policy reforms. #HimantaBiswaSarma #LandEvictions
Humanitarian Concerns Rise
The escalating tension at eviction sites like Goalpara has raised serious human rights and humanitarian concerns, with critics pointing to the lack of rehabilitation and resettlement plans for the displaced families. Most of the evicted individuals, including children and the elderly, have been left to fend for themselves in temporary shelters, exposed to the elements with limited access to food, healthcare, or sanitation.
Civil society groups and opposition leaders have demanded a judicial probe into the firing and called for urgent rehabilitation efforts for the affected. The death of Shakwar Ali is likely to amplify these demands and add pressure on the state administration to review its approach to evictions. #EvictionViolence #RehabilitationNeeded