Guwahati, Aug. 27 -- In what is being seen as a watershed moment in Assam's contentious land eviction campaign, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday hailed the voluntary demolition of 171 illegal structures in Nagaon district as a historic shift from resistance to cooperation.

Reacting to the development, Sarma posted on X: "The TIDE is turning- encroachers who were earlier fighting our eviction drives are now supporting it. This is what happened in Nagaon today. #AssamEvictions are lawful and are solely in the interest of Assam. The best way forward is Compliance over Confrontation."

The turn of events unfolded in Jengoni Tiniali under Dhing revenue circle, where alleged encroachers themselves brought in bulldozers late Tues...