Assam minority students body calls Lakhimpur eviction ‘inhumane’

The drive to evict encroachers from forest land in Assam’s Lakhimpur district continued for the second day on Wednesday, with 299 families residing on a 250 hectare tract left in the lurch.

Some of the evictees rued that they could not collect all their belongings, while others lamented that their crops were destroyed in the drive.

The exercise that began on Tuesday was being undertaken by the state to free up around 450 hectares in Pava Reserve Forest, with officials on the first day clearing 200 hectares in Mohghuli village, which was home to 201 families.

The All Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU) termed the eviction drive as “inhuman and one-sided” and staged a brief protest at Sonapur area of Lakhimpur district.