The Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC) on Wednesday sought a detailed report from the Nagaon district administration on the December 19 eviction drive against 302 families under Batadrava mouza.

Based on a newspaper report, AHRC chairperson Justice T. Vaiphei and commission member Deva Kumar Saikia in a suo moto order directed the Nagaon deputy commissioner to submit a detailed report on or before January 18 on the eviction drive against the families “who are reported to have encroached and occupied” government land at Santijan Bazar under Batadrava.

A Nagaon district administration official had said on Tuesday that about 1,100 bighas of government land, located close to Batadrava Than, the birthplace of Vaishnav saint-reformer Srimanta Sankardeva, was freed during a day-long eviction drive on December 19 “without any resistance from the affected”.

He had also said detailed arrangements were made for the drive, including deployment of over 600 security personnel, 12 excavators, 10 electric saws and 10 magistrates at 4 places within a 3km radius of the Batadrava Than.

Altogether 302 families were evicted and four religious structures — two temples and two mosques — were dismantled in the eviction drive, preparation for which had “started” about six months ago and “all due process required by the law” was followed, the official said.

According to him, around 80 per cent of the evicted people had left before the drive started. There was no resistance. The AHRC order came a day after the AIUDF protested within and outside the Assam state Assembly on Tuesday against the state government’s policy of “eviction without rehabilitation”.

The AIUDF MLAs first sought an adjournment motion in the Assembly to discuss the eviction being carried out across the state without rehabilitating the landless.

When the adjournment motion was disallowed by the Speaker, they staged a walk-out and carried on with their protest outside the House, displaying placards that said “stop inhuman eviction” and “give land to landless”.

After protesting outside the House, a 14-member MLA team drove to the affected eviction site in the Batadrava Assembly constituency, about 140km from Guwahati, on a stock-taking visit.

Talking to The Telegraph, three-time AIUDF MLA Rafiqul Islam said they had sought a discussion on the ongoing eviction “without” rehabilitation.

“We wanted to draw the attention of the House to the inhuman eviction carried out in Karimganj, Dhubri, Barpeta and Nagaon districts. The trigger was Batadrava.”