Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said, “We have waged a big war, and it will continue.”
Speaking at Khanapara in Assam’s Guwahati on the occasion of the 79th Independence Day, Sarma clarified the targets of this “war.”
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“The war is against ‘love jihad,’ the war is against ‘land jihad,’ the war is against illegal infiltrators and illegal settlers,” he further added.
He further called upon indigenous citizens to guard Assam’s land and heritage, declaring, “Assamese people pledge that they will not rest until they evacuate every inch of tribal land, grassland, government land, and forest land.”
The Assam government has carried out extensive eviction drives in recent years, recovering thousands of acres from what it claims are illegal occupants. According to official figures, over 25,000 acres have been cleared since 2021, including vast tracts of grazing reserves, forest areas, and heritage lands.
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Satras, Vaishnavite monastic institutions founded by Srimanta Sankardeva, have been a major focus. Government records show that 15,288.52 bighas in 11 districts are under illegal occupation. The state has pledged to reclaim 4,400 acres from 922 institutions across districts like Barpeta, Nagaon, Bajali, and Lakhimpur.
To protect such heritage sites, the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2024, bans land purchases by outsiders within a 5 km radius of satras, while Mission Basundhara 3.0 is implementing mapping, zoning, and a newly created Satra Aayog for long-term preservation.
In late July 2025, a major eviction at Uriamghat’s Rengma Reserve Forest freed 3,000 bighas, demolished 278 houses, and removed a betel nut unit. The state says such operations will intensify in the coming months.
Sarma also urged indigenous people not to sell land to outsiders.
“Aami aamar mati asinaki lokak bikri no korim… Nohole bahut dinloke Akhomiya na base. (We will not sell our land to outsiders… Otherwise, Assamese people will not survive for long),” Sarma said.