Guwahati, 01 September (HS): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday asserted that eviction drives in the state will continue with full support from the central government. He pointed out that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had already made it clear in his recent speech that Assam and the rest of India must be freed from illegal infiltrators.
Sarma said that the BJP government in the state is committed to reclaiming encroached land and therefore, eviction drives will not be halted. Since the BJP came to power, more than 160 square kilometres of land have reportedly been freed from encroachment.
He added that a large number of those displaced during such drives belong to the Bengali-speaking Muslim community, who have claimed that their forefathers settled in the evicted areas after being displaced by erosion of the Brahmaputra river.
On the issue of infiltration, Sarma explained that the push back process is being carried out in two phases — targeting both new infiltrators and those who entered Assam after 1971. So far, Assam Police have sent back 33 new infiltrators to Bangladesh, mostly through the border in South Salmara district.
Sarma emphasized that the process will continue and intensify in the coming days, reiterating the government’s commitment to removing illegal encroachers and infiltrators from the state.--------
Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash
