The Jorhat District Administration in Assam carried out a demolition drive on Tuesday (3rd June), to remove encroachment on government land at Kabristan Road.

A team of the Jorhat District Administration accompanied by police and CRPF personnel reached the area to take down illegal residential and commercial structures in the area.

However, the demolition drive faced massive protests by local Muslims who came out in support of a person named Azad Choudhary, whose illegal properties were among the properties demolished by the Jorhat Municipality Board.

As per some reports, Azad Choudhary is suspected of being a Bangladeshi national who illegally constructed properties on government land. He reportedly named the area where illegal structures belonging to him were located as 'Dhaka Patti', after the capital of Bangladesh.

Despite protests by local Muslims, the situation remained under control due to the presence of teams of police and the CRPF. Regarding the demolition drive, the Municipality Board said that there were no personal or political motives behind carrying out the demolition and that it was in compliance with the legal protocols.

The demolition drive comes after prolonged protests by a local civil body called Bir Lachit Sena which has been demanding the removal of illegal structures built on government land.

As per reports, the Municipality Board had served notices to Choudhary in 2016, 2020 and again in 2025 to vacate the government land that he had illegal occupied. "He was asked to vacate the land but failed to comply. His claim that he leased the property is unfounded - we have no official records supporting it," said a Municipality Board member.

Choudhary, however, denied having recieved any notice and claimed that the land was leased to him in 2014. He added that the Municipality has not been collecting rent for the land in recent years due to litigation involving third-party claims. Choudhary alleged that the demolition was politically motivated.