Adani power project in Assam after eviction of 1,400 Muslim families
Collected Photo
A few years ago, Chapar in Assam’s Dhubri district was home to houses, courtyards, livestock and the bustle of everyday life. Many of the families who had lost their homes several times to erosion by the Brahmaputra had been living there for three to four decades. In July 2025, the Assam government demolished those homes with bulldozers. More than 1,400 Bengali speaking Muslim families were evicted. The number of people was around 10,000. Before a year had passed, work on Adani Power’s 3,200-megawatt thermal power project began on the land.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma laid the foundation stone of the project in the Charubakhra, Chirakuta 1 and 2 and Santoshpur areas of Chapar on September 20. Adani Group said the project, involving an investment of around Tk 480 billion, is the largest power project in the state. Power generation is expected to begin in December 2030 in the first phase.
The biggest question surrounding the project concerns the land. The evicted Bengali speaking Muslim families allege that they were not rehabilitated after their homes were demolished.
According to government figures, around 3,500 bighas of government land were cleared. Local Muslims also claim that around 1,700 bighas of land owned by residents with land documents were taken for the project. They said nearly half of the landowners did not receive compensation even after submitting their documents.
Meanwhile, 300 bighas of land were allocated in Baizar Alga for rehabilitation. A one time payment of Tk 50,000 per family was also announced to help them move their belongings. However, many objected that the area is low lying land in the middle of the Brahmaputra. They fear the area could be flooded during the monsoon. Therefore, they are unwilling to move there.
Meanwhile, in documents related to environmental clearance, the project authorities stated that there were no settlements in the project area and that there were no claims related to rehabilitation or resettlement. However, the statements of the evicted residents are completely different. They allege that the land was cleared by demolishing their homes.
A central Environment Ministry expert committee recommended environmental clearance for the project on July 14. Government documents also mention 585 hectares of land for the project.
The incident has also brought the long running debate over evictions in Assam back into focus. Eviction drives have been carried out in various districts since the BJP government came to power in 2016.
Various reports and human rights discussions have highlighted that Bengali speaking Muslim families have been disproportionately affected in several such incidents. A report by a human rights organization also revealed that at least eight Muslims were killed during eviction drives at different times. Two people were killed in police firing during the 2021 eviction drive in Darrang. Another two people were killed during an eviction related incident in Kamrup in 2024.
Even this September, the Gauhati High Court questioned the demolition of homes belonging to 73 Bengali speaking Muslim families in Goalpara. The court said residents were not given sufficient opportunity before homes built on their agricultural land were demolished.
