After Dhubri & Goalpara, now migrant Muslims to face eviction at Uriamghat

Time of India

5 days ago

Guwahati: Numerous families relocated to Uriamghat, a remote inter-state border area between Assam and Nagaland, from Juria in Nagaon district fifty years ago and established farms in and around the Rengma reserve forest area.
Generations lived on these occupied lands, hoping for official recognition through govt land documents.
Many, like Hanif Ali, introduce themselves as 'Miya Muslims' — a term denoting Muslims from Bangladesh/East Pakistan origin. They lived here for years. Uriamghat became a hub for betel nut production. State govt contends these settlers destroyed forest areas despite owning property in Nagaon and Morigaon districts, approximately 200 km away.
Now Uriamghat is set to witness one of the biggest eviction drives in the state, after such action in Dhubri and Goalpara.
CM
Himanta Biswa Sarma
recently said reclaiming Uriamghat will be instrumental in checking illegal infiltration towards upper Assam, which still remain under control of indigenous communities.
While CM Himanta Biswa Sarma asserted political motives behind such encroachments, affected families cite land scarcity due to population growth in their ancestral homes as the primary reason for relocation.
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"Our father left our Juria home and settled in Uriamghat in 1974 after he sold off his share of the ancestral plot. Now we cannot live there. So we have packed our luggage without deciding on our next destination," said Hanif Ali.
Ali explained that some of the initial settlers in Uriamghat came for mustard cultivation on Naga-claimed lands near the Doyang river. Relations with Nagas deteriorated over land disputes when Muslim settlers established themselves on the other side of the river.
Despite hostilities they remained there in Uriamghat.
The Rengma reserve forest includes Muslim-majority villages like Dayalpur, Pithaghat, Dolonipathar, Madhupur, Kherbari, and Bidyapur, housing around 15,000 Muslims, apart from Nepali, Adivasi, and Bodo communities. Abdul Karim (47) a teacher from Bidyapur village, who got an eviction notice on Tuesday, alleged that only Muslim 'inter-district migrants' received notices.
"Some came in the 1970s, but some came three to four years ago as seasonal labourers to work in stone quarries.
But the administration should have served notices to all communities if they really want to restore the forest."
Karim's family, originally from Bhanga Bazar area in Cachar, 360 km away in south Assam, arrived in 1977 at the advice of his uncle who worked near Uriamghat as a road construction labour supervisor.
"When we came here in 1977, the focus was to protect Assam lands from Nagas by settling farmers in the inter-state borders which were yet to be clearly demarcated by the two states. Till today we are engaged in paddy cultivation," said Karim, a teacher who got an eviction notice on Tuesday.
Given seven days to vacate, Karim shares Hanif's concerns about reclaiming ancestral property. "After so many years, will our relatives give us space? There is no space at all in our ancestral village at Bhanga Bazar area," he said, requesting govt rehabilitation.