4,449 families evicted since BJP returned to power in Assam

A total of 4,449 families have been evicted across Assam for alleged encroachment after the BJP-led government took charge in May last year, the state Assembly said.

On whether the evicted families were Indians or foreigners, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the government has not carried out any investigation into their citizenship. A major part of the political narrative in this northeastern state bordering Bangladesh is the allegation of illegal immigration.

In a written reply to a query by Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed, CM Sarma Sarma stated that the new government had so far evicted 4,449 families.

He said that the government is also "not aware" if the families that had encroached on government land were homeless due to erosion, a claim that most such victims usually make.

After the BJP regained control of the government for the second time in a row last year, Sarma was appointed chief minister of Assam. He succeeded Sarbananda Sonowal, who helmed the state from 2016 to 2021.