Overview

• Residents began tearing down buildings around 10 p.m. Tuesday after Deputy Commissioner Debasish Sarma’s August 22 visit and a period of negotiations, according to district officials.
• Authorities say 51 homes and 120 shops were removed, clearing 28 bighas of government land, which led to the cancellation of the scheduled operation at Jengoni Tiniali.
• Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma praised the outcome on social media, calling it a turning point and urging “compliance over confrontation.”
• Further drives are planned in seven sites under Dhing revenue circle covering 1,047 bighas, with eviction notices already issued on July 25.
• The development comes during an intensified statewide anti-encroachment campaign that has drawn legal and human-rights challenges, including a new petition to the Assam Human Rights Commission by opposition leader Debabrata Saikia.