fazTimes media: Golaghat, Assam — The Assam government has begun a large-scale removal operation that will affect almost 2,000 families living in the Rengma Reserve Forest near the border with Nagaland. This decision has caused a lot of debate and strong reactions from different groups in society, politics, and ethnic communities. The land in question is about 10,000 bighas, which is roughly 3,300 acres, and the state has called it “encroached forest land.” The operation is being supported by armed forces and heavy machinery, and it is already considered one of the toughest actions taken by the state in recent times.

This eviction is part of a larger effort by the BJP government, led by Himanta Biswa Sarma, to take back government and forest land that it says has been slowly taken over by “illegal settlers. The government asserts that numerous migrants originate from Muslim-majority areas in Assam and neighboring states such as West Bengal and Bihar.

According to BBC News, more than 70% of the people who are being asked to leave have already left voluntarily after being given warnings and having their homes checked. However, the remaining families, who are mostly poor and have nowhere to go, are now facing a very difficult situation as bulldozers and security forces prepare for the actual evictions.

The Rengma Reserve Forest is in the Golaghat district, specifically in the Sarupathar area, which is already facing land disputes because it's close to Nagaland and there are overlapping claims over the land. Many of these plantations are believed to be part of a larger business operation spanning parts of northeastern India.

Officials from the government assert that they intentionally made this change, primarily to profit from the land.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma says the government is taking a strict stance against illegal land grabbing.

A senior official from the Golaghat district administration said, “This isn’t just about land. It’s also about bringing back balance to the environment, protecting the forests, and making sure people have the right to own the land they are using.”

Human stories are lost in the headlines.

The government says the operation is legal and necessary, but people are starting to talk about the impact on families. Bengali-speaking Muslims make up a significant portion of those displaced. They say they have lived on the land for more than ten years. Others bought the land from local people without realizing it was part of a forest.

Jalaluddin Ahmed, a 42-year-old farmer, said, “We are not criminals. We built our homes with everything we had. Now we’re leaving with nothing but the clothes on our backs.” Many families are moving to nearby towns or staying in temporary shelters on the edges of the forest.

It’s unclear where they will end up or if the government will help them find new places to live. Al Jazeera reports that in the past, similar evictions in Assam have caused big problems.

The evictions have left people without homes, medical care, clean water, and jobs. Some people believe these actions are punishing poor and vulnerable communities by pretending it’s about protecting forests. Tensions are growing along the border between Assam and Nagaland. As people were given notices to leave and things were being prepared, the Nagaland government warned its border areas about possible crowds coming in and asked local police to be on high alert.

A group called NSCN/GPRN (Niki), which is a Naga nationalist organization, made a strong statement against the action. They said the government’s move was not surprising and accused the Assam government of pretending to remove illegal settlers to take control of land that the Naga people say is theirs by right.

The group wrote, “This land belongs to our forefathers. The actions of the Assam government are a continuation of past unfair treatment and an effort to change the map by force.”

They also claimed that the Assam governments have, over time, allowed illegal immigrants from Bangladesh to settle in areas that are disputed, which weakens the claims of the local people.

The Bigger Picture: Who Owns the Land?

Experts indicate that the situation in Rengma highlights a larger issue regarding land ownership in Assam.

The state has seen many waves of people moving in—from the time of Partition to the 1971 war with Bangladesh and later because of natural disasters. Land has become both something people need to survive and a tool used in politics.

Dr. Anupama Bora, a sociologist at Guwahati University, said, “This isn’t just about the law; it’s also about feelings. The state should address illegal occupation, but the rules have been unclear for so long that it's hard to know what's illegal.

Assam's history of ethnic conflicts and land issues has caused people to be concerned about changes in the demographics of the region. Laws like the Citizenship Amendment Act, the National Register of Citizens, and ongoing claims about “illegal immigrants” have made things even more complicated. In this environment, feelings about community and region could affect even good efforts to protect the forests.

A Call for Balanced Policy

As the evictions continue, civil society groups are urging a more thoughtful approach—one that enforces the law while still respecting human rights. “The government can’t pretend these are just numbers,” said Nizam Uddin, a lawyer from a local rights group in Jorhat. “We need policies that help people relocate, not just force them out with bulldozers and fences.”

Videos showing women and children crying as they leave their homes have started spreading online, leading to more discussions about how the government governs, what people identify with, and where they feel they belong.

What occurs next in Rengma Reserve Forest could influence how evictions are handled in Assam in the future.

Will the state manage to follow the law without making people feel even more divided, or will this lead to more conflict in an area that’s already unstable?

fazTimes media Editorial Note: Land is sacred, and so are people's lives. The people of Assam deserve a policy that honors both the environment and the individuals who rely on it. Let's hope this operation brings not just cleared forests, but also a clearer direction for the future.

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