The Assam Congress has moved the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), seeking a suo motu inquiry into the alleged human rights violations by the state government during eviction drives.
Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Assembly and Congress Legislature Party leader Debabrata Saikia sent a five-page representation to the NHRC on Wednesday, citing alleged violations of the rights of several communities — “notably the indigenous Boro, Karbi, Garo and Ahom populations, in addition to Assamese Hindus and minority Muslims.”
“One of the communities, the Boro-Kachari tribe, has a 5,000-year history in Assam, and Muslim communities have a long history tracing back to Ali Mech’s conversion to Islam in 1206 AD… Communities are being displaced from their land because of their vulnerability. I request your Commission to intervene against the violations occurring in Assam,” the representation stated.
Saikia flagged the July 8 “demolition of 1,400 homes belonging to Bengali-Muslim families covering 1,157 acres in Dhubri district”.
“The resettlement site is in a flood-prone riverine area. The eviction matter is still pending before Gauhati High Court,” he noted.
He also cited the eviction in Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council areas such as Hawaipur and Phuloni, where “10,000 people were removed in 2024–25”. These areas included Hindi-speaking settlers and tribals residing on professional grazing reserve lands.
The representation stated that the state’s eviction drives violate Articles 3, 7, 12 and 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Articles 3 and 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both signed by India.
He urged the NHRC to act under Sections 12 and 13 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, citing violations of the Supreme Court guidelines and fundamental rights.
AJP counters Sarma
The Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) countered chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s claim that evictions were in the interest of indigenous people.
AJP general secretary Jagadish Bhuyan alleged that evictions were being conducted to hand over more than 55,000 bighas of land to corporate biggies such as Adani, Ambani, and Ramdev.
“Only 6,000 bighas were occupied by East Bengal-origin settlers. The rest belonged to tribals,” Bhuyan said.
He said almost all evicted Bengali-origin families were compensated and resettled, while indigenous families were not. “If they’re illegal foreigners as claimed, why compensate them? Doesn’t this prove they are citizens?” he asked. “Isn’t the chief minister lying? Isn’t this unethical and deceitful politics?”