Assam authorities demolish homes of 132 Bengali Muslim families in Lakhimpur
The families, who were displaced during the 1983 riots, alleged that the demolition targeted Muslim homes while Hindu neighbours were not evicted.
Authorities in Assam’s Lakhimpur demolished the homes of 132 Bengali Muslim families in Boginadi on Friday, according to Scroll. The families had been living on a plot of government land since being displaced during the 1983 statewide riots.
The displaced families alleged that the demolition was selective. Mohammad Tushan Ali, a resident who has lived on the land since 1985, said two of his family's homes were demolished while the homes of adjacent Hindu neighbours were not harmed.
Raijor Dal leader Azizur Rahman told Scroll that the demolished homes stood on nearly 9.9 acres of the 622.4 acres of professional grazing land under the Kadam revenue circle. Rahman alleged that the Assam government had settled the residents on this land after their displacement in 1983 and provided electricity, roads, and schools.
Rahman further claimed that the homes of members of the Hindu community living on 595 acres of the same grazing land were not demolished, calling it a violation of Article 14 of the Constitution.
In the last month, the Assam government has evicted more than 1,900 Muslim families. This included over 640 Bengali Muslim families in Dhubri district on November 1 and more than 1,100 families across Nagaon, Hojai, and Golaghat districts on October 18.
Data from the state revenue and disaster management department and district authorities compiled by Scroll shows that around 19,000 families, the majority of whom are Muslim, have been evicted from government land during the last ten years of BJP rule in Assam.