Guwahati, Sep 16 – A significant number of families in Kochutoli village, located in Assam’s Kamrup (Metropolitan) district, have begun vacating their homes as the deadline for clearing “encroached land” approached on Monday. This follows a recent eviction drive that resulted in violence.

Villagers were observed transporting their belongings, including livestock, in vans. Officials have classified these residents as “illegal settlers in the tribal belt,” indicating that many of them possess land in other districts such as Darrang, Morigaon, and Barpeta, where they are now returning.

The Kamrup (Metropolitan) district authorities had set September 16 as the final day for residents to vacate Kochutoli village. Eviction notices were issued to those “illegally occupying government land,” with officials warning of strict actions against anyone who remained after the deadline.

A team from the Sonapur Circle office, accompanied by police, was dispatched to Kochutoli to evict Bengali-speaking Muslim villagers who had previously been removed from the encroached land but had returned. Tensions escalated during the eviction drive on September 12, resulting in villagers attacking officials and law enforcement with sharp weapons, sticks, and stones.

The violent confrontation led to the deaths of two villagers and injuries to over 35 individuals, including 22 government officials and police personnel. In response to the chaos, police were compelled to open fire to disperse the mob.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma emphasized that the laws governing tribal belts and blocks were established during Gopinath Bordoloi’s tenure as the first Congress Chief Minister in 1950, and that this area has remained designated as a tribal belt since then. He reiterated that the eviction drive would persist, stating, “We will clear the tribal belts and blocks of all encroachment by doubtful illegal settlers.”

Sarma accused the Congress party of inciting violence against officials and police personnel on duty. Meanwhile, Director General of Police G P Singh suggested that the attack on police might have been a “conspiracy” by certain groups, as the eviction process had been proceeding peacefully since September 9.

On Saturday, pro-eviction tribal organizations barred separate delegations of Congress and AIUDF MLAs from entering the village. The Congress party has claimed that the state government violated court orders by failing to issue the necessary eviction notices, citing rulings from both the Supreme Court and the Gauhati High Court regarding government land.