A Vicious Cycle

Being evicted from their land is nothing new for the people of Chanderdinga in Dhubri district. However, the recent eviction has plunged more than 50 families into an uncertain future.

- Nabarun Guha

Being rendered homeless all of a sudden is not a new phenomenon in the life of Abdur Razzaq. Razzaq, who is a resident of Chanderdinga pahar, a small hamlet in Dhubri district has been evicted from their land time and again. The place is surrounded by a small hillock called Chanderdinga pahar on one side and on the other side is the char (sandbar) area which falls in Goalpara district. The residents who have been living here since 1978 have been evicted thrice. The latest surge of eviction fell on them on 28th December 2016 when 56 families in the village were uprooted overnight from their home and pushed towards an uncertain future.

With the help of peasant group Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti and some activists, the 56 families have settled in relief camps on the banks of the river. The cramped tents are a makeshift and inadequate arrangement. These makeshift camps house 25 infants below the age of one, 42 children aged between one and five and 12 pregnant women. The settlers who were evicted for encroaching on forest land hold government documents like voter ID cards but do not have any land documents. Not only do they have no hope of receiving compensation, rehabilitation, too, seems out of their reach.