India, Oct. 19 -- More than 1,100 families, predominantly Bengali-speaking Muslims, have been evicted from forest land across Assam's Nagaon, Hojai and Golaghat districts in a two-day demolition operation, according to officials and media reports.

On Sunday, October 18, authorities demolished the houses of around 500-600 families in the Lutumari Longjap Reserve Forest in Nagaon. The previous day, 547 families had been evicted across the three districts, including 336 in Nagaon, 152 in Hojai and 59 in Golaghat. Several residents moved their belongings out before excavators reached the sites, and no untoward incidents were reported. Officials suggested that the eviction operation could continue.

Residents of Lutumari have contested the g...