Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on July 17 accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of encouraging encroachers, claiming his remarks led to violence in Goalpara, where one illegal settler was killed in police retaliation.
Himanta Biswa Sarma linked the incident at Paikan reserve forest, occurring a day after Gandhi’s visit, to what he called the Congress leader’s “irresponsible rhetoric,” which he said has endangered peace and lives in Assam.
Rahul Gandhi came to Assam and openly encouraged encroachers to occupy forest land. Emboldened by his reckless words, today a violent mob attacked our police and forest personnel while attempting to forcefully encroach upon the Paikan Reserve Forest.
In the line of duty, 21…
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) July 17, 2025
“Rahul Gandhi came to Assam and openly encouraged encroachers to occupy forest land,” Sarma alleged, referring to the Leader of Opposition’s one-day visit to the state on July 16.
During the visit, Gandhi was accompanied by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. The two leaders held a closed-door meeting with state Congress functionaries in Guwahati and addressed party workers at Chaygaon, about 40 km from the capital. He had claimed that, similar to Assam, land is being taken from the people across the country and handed over to a select few industrialists.
In a post on X, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that a violent mob, emboldened by Rahul Gandhi’s “reckless remarks,” attacked police and forest officials while attempting to forcibly encroach on the Paikan Reserve Forest.
“During the operation, 21 police officers and forest personnel sustained serious injuries while performing their duties,” Sarma said. He added that police were left with no option but to open fire to restore order, resulting in the death of one encroacher.
Calling the incident the “disastrous legacy” of Rahul Gandhi’s one-day visit to Assam, Sarma said, “His irresponsible rhetoric has directly put lives at risk and disturbed peace in our state. The people of Assam will neither forget nor forgive this betrayal.”
The clash in Goalpara district on July 17 left one person dead and several, including security personnel, injured.
Goalpara District Commissioner Prodip Timung stated that forest guards and police personnel were attacked with sticks and pelted with stones by alleged encroachers while attempting to cordon off a section of the Paikan Reserve Forest, where an eviction drive had been conducted on Saturday.
In response, the police were forced to open fire to control the situation, resulting in the death of one person and injuries to two others. Several police and forest officials also sustained injuries during the stone-pelting, the DC added.
