Guwahati: The Assam forest department on Monday carried out an eviction drive at Loharghat near Mirza in Kamrup district, evicting at least seven families who had built houses in the area.
The forest department officials claimed that the villagers had encroached on forest land, but the villagers said that they had been living there for many years and that no one from the forest department had ever objected.
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The Assam forest department officials also cut down planted coconut and palm trees besides demolishing the villagers’ dwelling houses during the eviction drive.
The villagers complained that the forest department was harassing them and that they had nowhere to go now. They accused the forest department of trying to grab their land and give it to big business groups.
The forest department denied the allegations and said that it was only trying to protect the forest. The villagers, however, said that the forest department was not doing enough to protect the forest and that it was instead harassing innocent people.
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The eviction operation in Loharghat has sparked protests from the villagers and from local activists. The activists demanded that the government intervene and stop the forest department from evicting villagers.