Gauhati HC halts Baghmari eviction, seeks report on land status by Sept 8
The High Court sought a clarification if the land is village grazing reserve (VGR), notices were earlier issued to 433 families.
A file image of Biswanath eviction
Biswanath, Sept 5: The eviction drive scheduled for September 7 at Baghmari in Biswanath district has been put on hold following an intervention by the Gauhati High Court.
A section of residents, who had earlier received eviction notices, approached the court seeking relief. Acting on their petition, the court directed the Biswanath district administration to submit a detailed report by September 8 on whether the disputed land falls under the category of Village Grazing Reserve (VGR). Until the report is filed and reviewed, the eviction has been suspended.
The eviction notice was part of an ongoing drive by the district administration to clear alleged encroachments on government and reserve lands. However, the petitioners argued that they have been in possession of the land for decades and sought legal protection against eviction.
Village Grazing Reserves (VGR) are lands earmarked by the government specifically for community livestock grazing. Encroachments on such land are prohibited, and in recent years, eviction drives have been intensified across Assam to reclaim VGRs for their intended purpose.
Earlier, the Biswanath district administration has issued eviction notices to 433 families allegedly occupying nearly 265 bighas of VGR land in Baghmari.
Reportedly, the settlers were given 15 days to vacate the land, identified under plot numbers 189 and 203 of the original Baghmari villag