Hyderabad, Oct. 30 -- Thousands of families have lost their homes in Assam in the name of clearing encroachment. Here's a look at what the record shows, what the state argues, and what remains unanswered.

The scale

Between May 2021 and 2026, Assam carried out at least 33 documented eviction operations, displacing 20,387 families and over one lakh people, according to a March 2026 New Humanitarian investigation. Other estimates put the number of structures demolished at over 22,000. Outlook India data puts the number at roughly 19,000 families over the past decade. Revenue department figures show that over 10,620 families, most of them Muslim, were removed from government land between 2016 and August 2024.

The pace has not slowed. On Oc...