Assam officials razed Muslim families' homes on their own land after a 24-hour notice
On 5 September 2026 the Circle Officer of Matia Revenue Circle in Assam's Goalpara district served notices ordering residents of five villages to demolish their homes on their own patta land within 24 hours, citing the Disaster Management Act, and the houses were razed in the early hours of 7 September, leaving about 74 Muslim families homeless, according to Madhyamam. The same day Justice Devashis Baruah of the Gauhati High Court found the action "prima facie" illegal, unauthorised and a violation of natural justice under Articles 14 and 21, and barred further action. On 16 September the court said the state's records showed no imminent danger and that the Disaster Management Act appeared to have been misused, and said it would consider compensation if the District Commissioner and Circle Officer acted without legal authority. The demolitions are part of a wider pattern: a March 2026 investigation cited by Siasat counted at least 33 eviction operations in Assam since May 2021, displacing 20,387 families, most of them Bengali-origin Muslims.
it also prima facie appears to be a misuse of the Disaster Management Department Act, 2005
questioned the legality of an eviction drive in Assam's Goalpara district that left 74 Muslim families homeless
Assam carried out at least 33 documented eviction operations, displacing 20,387 families and over one lakh people
the actions on the part of the Respondent No.3 prima facie appear to be illegal and unauthorized and violative of the principles of natural justice
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Said the structures were on unconverted agricultural land and some obstructed drainage and wetlands.
Cited concerns over wetlands, low-lying land and blocked water channels as reasons for the action.
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No outcome recorded yet.