Assam Minister promises action against immigrants residing in forest lands

Guwahati (Assam) [India], August 1 (ANI): Amid the chaos over the anti-encroachment drive, Assam Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah promised appropriate action against the non-indigenous population and immigrants residing in the forest lands in Guwahati.
He claimed that the immigrant and non-indigenous population was trying to "end Assamese culture" and change the region's demographic composition.
"A significant number of non-indigenous individuals and immigrants or those who will end our culture are residing on forest land in Guwahati, altering the region's demographic composition. We will take appropriate action against them. This needs to be done. Otherwise, the indigenous people of Assam will not remain due to changed demography," Baruah told ANI.
Earlier, the Assam Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) issued a statement, flagging the issue of the alleged population explosion of "illegal Bangladeshi-origin minorities".
"Due to the population explosion of more than 1 crore (10 million) infiltrated illegal Bangladeshi-origin minorities" during the Congress regime, "their long-standing attempt to convert Assam into a Miya-land will never be allowed to succeed under any circumstances", the statement read.
Assam Pradesh BJP's chief spokesperson Kishor Kumar Upadhyay said that already, "due to the aggression of East Bengal origin Muslims, the indigenous population in several districts of Assam is under severe threat".
Amid Assam's ongoing eviction drive against illegal settlers in its reserve forests, Nagaland has been placed on high alert due to fears of a possible influx across the state's borders. Director General of Police (DGP) Nagaland, Rupin Sharma, IPS, addressed the situation on Tuesday, detailing the state's approach and urging public cooperation with law enforcement.
Speaking to ANI, Sharma said, "The current issue, which has been flagged by various people and is also known to the state government, is primarily due to the eviction drives carried out by the Assam government and various reserve forests in Assam. He clarified that those being referred to as "illegal immigrants" are, in fact, illegal settlers who had encroached upon reserve forest areas in Assam."
He added, "Their eviction is part of a drive undertaken by the Assam Forest Department and other state agencies, as permanent settlement is not allowed in forest land. The DGP expressed concern that many of these evicted individuals may attempt to enter Nagaland with their belongings, prompting heightened vigilance in the state."
In response to concerns over illegal influx, Sharma said the Nagaland Police have intensified security along the state's border with Assam, where checkpoints have been heightened and patrolling has been established to prevent unauthorised entry. (ANI)