Thousands of people, many of them Muslims are homeless by eviction drives in Assam. Homes that sheltered families have been reduced to rubble.
October 25. 2026: In the eviction drives in October, livelihoods are destroyed, and entire communities plunged into uncertainty. Behind every demolished house lies a human story: children deprived of stability, elderly people left vulnerable, and families forced to confront an uncertain future.
The latest major Assam eviction drive took place on October 17–18, 2026, across forest areas in Nagaon, Hojai and Golaghat districts. Reports published on October 18–20 said that more than 1,100 Muslim families were affected over the two days, according to figures reported by Scroll; the state government has disputed claims that the operation targeted a particular religious community.
The first day of the latest operation affected 547 families across the three districts, including 336 in Nagaon, 152 in Hojai and 59 in Golaghat. Most were reported to be Bengali Muslims.
On the second day, more than 600 Muslim families were reported evicted by Scroll. The Telegraph reported 563 families for the operation in Lutumari.
Scroll, compiling government and district-level data, reported that approximately 19,000 families, most of them Muslim, had been evicted from government land during the BJP’s decade in power in Assam. This is a cumulative figure covering multiple drives, not the number displaced in October alone
When homes are razed and communities are uprooted on such a scale, the question cannot be confined to land and legality alone. It must also be about human dignity, equal protection, and the right to live without fear of arbitrary displacement.
Critics have described these targeted evictions as a form of ethnic cleansing, arguing that the disproportionate impact on Muslims demands urgent scrutiny. That grave characterisation must be examined against the evidence, including who is being evicted, the legal grounds invoked, and whether affected communities are being treated equally.
This is more than a story of bulldozers and broken walls. It is a humanitarian crisis demanding transparency, accountability, humane rehabilitation, and answers from those in power.
JANPATH NEWS NETWORK (JNN)
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