An eviction drive was conducted by the Assam Government on the grounds that thousands of households had encroached on the Garukhuti Project Area's lands. The Assam government removed several residents of the Darrang district's Garukhuti Project Area and decided to relocate them to the Dalgaon area.
It was decided that in the first phase of the moving, 633 of the 2051 families would be relocated. Of these, 423 families living in Niz-Salmara and No. 1 Dholpur would be relocated. The remaining 210 families who have voluntarily evacuated the disputed area would be provided rehabilitation.
The 20th and 23rd of September 2021 saw the most violent evictions, which resulted in multiple fatalities and other losses. In one of these eviction drives, the Assam Police [opened fire](https://scroll.in/latest/1016976/assam-all-2051-families-evicted-from-garukhuti-village-to-be-relocated-to-dalgaon#:~:text=The Assam government has decided,50 kilometres away from Garukhuti.) on the villagers, killing two people, including a 12-year-old. Eviction notices were [delivered](https://scroll.in/latest/1016976/assam-all-2051-families-evicted-from-garukhuti-village-to-be-relocated-to-dalgaon#:~:text=The Assam government has decided,50 kilometres away from Garukhuti.) to communities where muslims of Bengali descent made up the majority of the population.
The Assam government's eviction also garnered considerable international attention, and numerous minority organisations both inside and outside the state demanded that the state government give rehabilitation and compensation for the afflicted people.
According to the [minutes of a meeting](https://scroll.in/latest/1016976/assam-all-2051-families-evicted-from-garukhuti-village-to-be-relocated-to-dalgaon#:~:text=The Assam government has decided,50 kilometres away from Garukhuti.) held in January 2022 to discuss the evictions, “Some families are still there in Garukhuti project area. Those who were evicted and yet to be evicted will be relocated to Dalgaon legislative assembly constituency. MLA, Dalgaon told that he will extend full cooperation for shifting of evicted people.”
Together with the police and representatives of the All Assam Minority Students' Union, Majibar Rahman, the MLA for Darrang, and district administration officials met to discuss further eviction drives as well as the transfer of the affected households. It was determined during the meeting that 2,051 families will be relocated to 2,051 bighas of land inside the Dalgaon Revenue Circle. Additionally, it was determined to provide each household 1 bigha, or 27,000 square feet, of land.
In 2022, a committee led by the circle officer of Dalgaon Revenue Circle was established to execute the eviction process. Additionally, the Assam Criminal Investigation Department is looking into the Siphajhar killings, and three individuals have so far been taken into custody for allegedly encouraging the violent crime.
The district administration, and two organisations involved in the process, the All Assam Minority Students' Union (AAMSU), and the Asom Sankhyalaghu Sangram Parishad (ASSP), are said to have put a complete stop to relocation activities after March 2022 and blamed it on adverse weather. The district administration and representatives of the groups could not give an acceptable response when questioned why there was no relocation for the evicted homes and instead simply said that all the families would be transferred in a "phased" approach.
Rezaul Karim Sarkar, AAMSU president stated, “All 2,051 families are victims. We demand that the government keeps the promises made so that the people get their due rights.”
In January 2023, the Darrang commissioner was ordered by the court to deliver the required relocation within the following six months.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand for rehabilitation
Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Urban
Type of Land
Common
Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Residential area
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
No
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Non-rehabilitation of displaced people
Forced evictions/dispossession of land
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Disposed
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Gauhati High Court
Case Number
PIL (Suo Moto)/6/2021
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Killing
Physical attack
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
No
Reported Details of the Violation:
Two persons, including a 12-year-old, were killed when the Assam Police opened fire on the locals during one of these eviction raids.
Date of Violation
September 22, 2022
Location of Violation
Sipajhar area of Garukhuti
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Government of Assam, District Administration of Darrang
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
No
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
No
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
All Assam Minority Students’ Union, Asom Sankhalaghu Sangram Parishad, Assam Human Rights Commission
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
Emilo is pursuing her PhD in Political Science at the North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong. Her primary research areas include human and land rights and gender issues.
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