Assam Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah said 563 families were involved in the October 17-18 eviction drive at Lutumari Reserve Forest in Nagaon, rejecting Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman’s claim that more than 1,100 families had been evicted within two days.
In a social media post on October 25, Mallabaruah described Rahman’s remarks as an “incomplete and misleading picture of the facts”. He said the operation covered 314 hectares of notified forest land and was neither arbitrary nor aimed at any religion or community.
Rahman had raised concern in a post on October 24 over the eviction of Muslim families and alleged that 10 mosques, some reportedly over 50 years old, were demolished during the drive. Those figures were not independently established in the information available.
Mallabaruah said the proceedings followed Supreme Court directions, including an order dated February 10, 2026. He added that Special Leave Petitions (Civil) Nos. 28719–28723/2026, filed by the petitioners, were disposed of on September 2, 2026.
Notices were served well in advance and occupants were given time to leave their homes and remove belongings, Mallabaruah said. The authorities waited until the rainy and flood season had ended because of the difficulties displacement could cause to families, he added.
The reclaimed land is to be restored with indigenous forest species to regenerate wildlife habitat, particularly for elephants, and help reduce human-elephant conflict, according to Mallabaruah.
