Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday strongly blamed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for inciting unrest that led to violent clashes between alleged encroachers and security personnel in the Paikan Reserve Forest area of Goalpara district. The confrontation resulted in the death of one person and left 21 police and forest officials injured. The Chief Minister, in a sharply worded statement posted on his official X handle (formerly Twitter), alleged that Rahul Gandhi’s recent statements during his Assam visit had directly encouraged encroachment on government forest land. “Rahul Gandhi came to Assam and openly encouraged encroachers to occupy forest land. Emboldened by his reckless words, today a violent mob attacked our police and forest personnel while attempting to forcefully encroach upon the Paikan Reserve Forest,” Sarma stated.
According to officials, the violence broke out when a large group attempted to settle inside the protected forest area on Thursday morning. When forest and police personnel moved in to prevent illegal encroachment, they were reportedly met with resistance. The situation escalated quickly into a violent confrontation. “In the line of duty, 21 of our police officers and forest guards sustained serious injuries,” Sarma informed. “Left with no choice, the police had to open fire to restore order—leading to the unfortunate death of one encroacher.”The Chief Minister condemned what he called the “disastrous legacy” of Rahul Gandhi’s one-day visit to the state. “The irresponsible rhetoric of the Congress leader has endangered lives and disrupted peace in Assam. The people of Assam will neither forget nor forgive this betrayal,” he said.
The incident has sparked a fresh wave of political tension across Assam. While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Congress of using populist politics to legitimize illegal encroachment on ecologically sensitive land, the opposition has questioned the government’s handling of the eviction drive.The Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) [CPI(ML)] has also come out strongly against the state government, alleging human rights violations during the eviction and describing it as part of a broader “land grab conspiracy” targeting the poor and marginalized.