More Nagaland bodies brace for influx of people evicted in Assam

GUWAHATI More tribe-based students’ organisations in Nagaland have called for mechanisms to check the possible influx of people evicted from various categories of government land in Assam.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Assam has been carrying out an eviction drive since June, clearing government lands of some 50,000 people, mostly Bengali-speaking Muslims with roots in present-day Bangladesh.

Several tribes of Nagaland living in areas bordering Assam have been particularly concerned about a proposed eviction drive in a forested stretch at Uriamghat in the Golaghat district. Many illegal settlers left the area adjoining Nagaland after the Assam government began conducting land survey operations a few days ago.

On Wednesday (July 23, 2025), the Konyak Students’ Union directed its federating units in the Mon district, especially in the Tizit and Naginimora areas bordering Assam, to deploy 100 volunteers daily at every entry point.

“The volunteers are tasked with checking all non-locals entering the Mon district to ensure they are carrying valid ILP (Inner-Line Permit) and proper documentation,” the union, catering to Konyak Naga students, said in a “notification”.

An ILP, mandated by the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873, is a temporary travel document an Indian citizen is required to carry while visiting the “protected” States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland.

The Konyak students’ body said anyone found without valid documents must be sent back immediately from the Mon district. It appealed to the district administration to stop issuing the ILP for at least a month to allow proper scrutiny and prevent unchecked influx into the district.

“Strict compliance from all units and authorities concerned is expected in the interest of safeguarding our indigenous rights and security,” the union stated.

A union of the Sümi Naga students living across the Chumoukedima and Dimapur districts raised the first alarm on July 21. Similar concerns about possible influx of “illegal immigrants” were aired by the Lotha and Ao Naga students’ bodies in the Wokha and Mokokchung districts.

These districts border Assam.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said his government reclaimed 1.29 bighas of land from encroachers since 2021, and the eviction drive would continue.

One person was killed in a firing while several others, including police and Forest Department personnel, were injured during an eviction drive in western Assam’s Goalpara district a few days ago.