Nagaon: Ahead of the assembly elections, families living in and around Batadraba Than in Assam’s Nagaon district have recalled how land attached to the 15th-century Vaishnavite shrine was gradually encroached upon by Bangladesh-origin migrant Muslims before an eviction drive reclaimed the area.Founded in 1494 by Vaishnavite saint Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva at his birthplace, Batadraba Than is regarded as a cornerstone of Assamese identity and social reform. Residents said the land where the Srimanta Sankardev Abirbhav Kshetra, also known as the Batadraba Than Redevelopment Project, now stands beside the historic shrine was once jungle before migrant families settled there.Gitashree Kalita, a social worker who lives near the Than, said the settlement of Bangladesh-origin migrant Muslims in Batadraba accelerated between 2001 and 2014-15. “There were people from their community in Nagaon district even before 2001, but their population expanded rapidly during this period, with settlements coming up on the land belonging to the Than,” she said, adding that her own family’s presence in the area dates back to 1656–57.According to Kalita, the encroachment did not draw sustained attention until 2011, when the construction of a mosque on Than land triggered public and administrative concern. “Although the structure was demolished, no concrete action followed until 2016, when the BJP govt, after assuming power, cleared nearly 160 bighas of encroached land and vowed to protect it and announced construction of the redevelopment project,” she said.The foundation stone of the Batadraba Than Redevelopment Project was laid by Union home minister Amit Shah on Feb 25, 2021. The project, built at a cost of more than Rs 200 crore, was inaugurated by Shah on Dec 29 last year.Kalita said the eviction drive, protection of the reclaimed land and the redevelopment project could influence voter sentiment in the election. “The birthplace and legacy of Mahapurush Sankardeva have been safeguarded,” she said.Batadraba Than now falls within the newly constituted Nagaon-Batadraba assembly constituency, created after the 2023 delimitation exercise, which turned it into a Hindu-majority seat. Neighbouring Dhing, Rupahihat and Samaguri remain minority-majority constituencies.Ranjeet Mahanta, a functionary of the Than, said the migrant population first arrived in the district as agricultural labourers. “Over time, they transitioned from workers to landowners. Many acquired land by encroaching on Than property, grazing grounds or forest land in different parts of the district,” he said.Mahanta said the issue has had a lasting impact on local residents and could shape the electoral contest. “They created a sense of fear among the Hindu population. The situation began to change after the eviction in 2021 and the delimitation exercise in 2023. These developments could play a crucial role in the ongoing assembly election,” he said.
