Written by – Manoj Kumar Ojha
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said that Assam Police may summon Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge in connection with the Paikan tragedy.
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“Police have launched an investigation into the incident. The firing killed one person and critically injured another. Authorities may summon Rahul Gandhi and Kharge,” Sarma said while briefing reporters about the cabinet’s approvals of various plans and policies in the capital.
He was responding to a reporter’s question about the possible role of Rahul Gandhi and Kharge’s visit to the state just a day before the violence occurred.
On Thursday, in Paikan Reserve Forest, Goalpara district, a routine eviction drive escalated into violence. A joint team of Assam Police and Forest Department personnel had arrived to clear around 140 hectares of illegally occupied forest land when settlers, many living in makeshift tents, resisted.
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Reports describe residents pelting stones and wielding sticks, while police responded with firearms, resulting in at least one death and one person critically injured. Over 21 security personnel sustained injuries amid the chaos.
Forest officers reportedly dug trenches to separate groups of settlers, a move that sparked the mob’s outrage. Authorities later justified the police firing as an act of self-defense following the attacks. The deceased was identified as Kutubuddin Sheikh in some reports, while other sources named Shakuar Hussain.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma directly blamed Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge for allegedly instigating the unrest. “Rahul Gandhi came to Assam and openly encouraged encroachers,” he said, accusing them of emboldening settlers and endangering peace.
He called the tragedy the “disastrous legacy” of their visit and posted on X (formerly Twitter) that police opened fire to restore order, injuring 21 officers and killing one person.
On July 16, 2025, Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge visited Assam. They held a closed-door meeting with senior state Congress leaders in Guwahati, joined by Assam PCC chief Gaurav Gogoi.
Later, they addressed a Congress workers’ rally in Palasbari, near Guwahati. Gandhi accused CM Sarma of behaving like a “king” and vowed that Congress would jail him if elected.
They also pledged to build homes for encroachers if Congress came to power, a statement CM Sarma claims provoked settlers.
On July 17, just a day after their visit, Assam Police and Forest Department officials returned to enforce the eviction in Paikan, this time met with fierce resistance.
The ensuing violence led to police firing, casualties, and injuries.
CM Sarma condemned the Congress leaders’ “irresponsible rhetoric,” holding them politically accountable for the unrest.
The Chief Minister’s sharp response underscores the escalating friction between the BJP-led state government and the Congress. Paikan has now become symbolic of deeper land rights disputes, involving environmental concerns and migrant settler communities.
Moreover, the public reaction to the eviction and the surrounding political rhetoric could significantly impact voter sentiment ahead of key elections.
Assam Police may summon Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge to record statements over alleged provocation related to the Paikan violence. Investigations into the use of force during the eviction are also likely to be initiated.
Political fallout is expected, with the Congress facing both legal scrutiny for its leaders and an opportunity to appeal to disenfranchised settler communities.
This makes Paikan not just a forest eviction, but a politically charged crisis, deeply intertwined with state leadership dynamics and the broader narrative surrounding land, identity, and power in Assam.