India: Assam’s Chief Minister Tells Evicted Muslims to ‘Go Back’
India: Assam’s Chief Minister Tells Evicted Muslims to ‘Go Back’
———————————-
The Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has instructed Bengali-speaking Muslims who were evicted from government and forest lands to “go back to the place from where they came.” He also issued a warning to local residents against providing shelter to the displaced people.
According to a report from Deccan Herald, Sarma’s comments were made during an eviction drive. While he did not specify who he meant by “our people,” sources within the government suggest he was referring to all residents other than the Bengali-speaking Muslims, whom the BJP considers illegal migrants from Bangladesh.
Sarma stated that a vast amount of land, over 2.9 million bighas, remains under illegal occupation and that the evictions are intended to protect local communities and provide land to “our people.” He alleged that the evicted people are part of a “demographic invasion” and had illegally occupied the land despite owning property in their “home districts.”
Since May 2021, over 1.29 lakh bighas of land have reportedly been cleared of encroachment in various districts, including Dhubri, Goalpara, Lakhimpur, and Golaghat.
