Guwahati: Over 500 people from Kachutoli in Sonapur of Assam, who were evicted in 2024 for allegedly encroaching on tribal land, alleged that they were denied their democratic right to vote on Thursday. They said despite being Indian citizens, they could not cast their votes after their names were deleted from the electoral rolls during the state’s special revision. The area falls under the Dimoria (SC) assembly constituency.The families have been living in makeshift tarpaulin shelters at the eviction site following a court stay on the eviction at Kachutoli in Sonapur.Bilal Uddin (39) said he and his wife Momtaj Begum (38) could not vote on Thursday as their names were shown as deleted in the electoral roll under the Sonapur Govt Jr Basic School polling booth in Dimoria (SC) constituency.“Hundreds of houses were demolished during the eviction. However, my house along with eight others was not demolished following a stay order from the court. But our names were deleted from the electoral roll,” he said, adding that many evicted people, despite being Indian citizens, missed the vote.The family of Muktar Ali (24), comprising six members, was also evicted. He said his family had settled at the eviction site around 2000 after shifting from Mayong. “We had no idea that the land fell under a tribal belt area when we purchased it. In 2024, we were evicted, and subsequently, our names were deleted from the electoral roll during the special revision, even after we showed all documents,” he added.Ibrahim Ali alleged a conspiracy behind deleting the names of the evicted people of Kachutoli from the electoral roll. “There is a case pending in court. We are waiting for the verdict,” he said.Meanwhile, Jiten Kakati, BLO of the Kachutoli LP School polling booth, denied allegations of preventing voters from voting. “No such situation took place at the booth. Those making the allegation are the people evicted from Kachutoli. Higher authorities had asked them to apply for enrolment from their new place so they could vote from there, as they are Indian citizens. However, the land in question falls under the tribal belt, and the families were evicted for allegedly occupying tribal land. Therefore, their names were deleted from their previous residential address. They should have applied for enrolment in the electoral roll from their new locations or from their original place of residence,” he said.Evictions at Kachutoli (Kochutoli) in Dimoria were carried out to clear illegal encroachments on protected tribal land in Kamrup Metro district. Kachutoli, under Sonapur revenue circle near Dimoria, falls within the South Kamrup Tribal Belt, restricted to Scheduled Tribes under the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation, 1886.Authorities demolished around 240 houses on Sept 9, 2024. The families were Bengali-speaking Muslims who had settled decades earlier. A follow-up eviction on Sept 12 sparked violence, killing two young men — Haidar Ali and Jubahir Ali — and injuring over 30 people, including officials from the district administration.The Gauhati high court stayed further evictions on Sept 20, 2024, after residents claimed pre-1950 land titles, directing verification by the district commissioner. The Supreme Court also intervened later that month, ordering status quo.
