10,000 people in Assam face eviction from tribal council lands

The move by the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council to evict 2,086 families of “illegal settlers” sparked unrest, leading to the injury of 11 persons and the arrest of 17 a week ago

The Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council’s move to evict 2,086 families of “illegal settlers” has sparked unrest. Representational. | Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR

GUWAHATI: Assam Revenue Minister Jogen Mohan on Friday defended a tribal council’s plan to evict about 10,000 people from areas designated as professional grazing reserves (PGR) and village grazing reserves (VGR).

The move by the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) to evict 2,086 families of “illegal settlers” sparked unrest, leading to the injury of 11 persons and the arrest of 17 a week ago.

The genesis of the trouble is said to be a memorandum submitted by an organisation of the Hindi-speaking Nonia community in January, seeking the legalisation of the settlers on PGR and VGR lands in West Karbi Anglong district.

The KAAC administers the tribal-majority Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts, both under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

Citing precedents dating back to 1933 when the PGR was conceived, Mr. Mohan told the 126-member Assam Assembly that alleged illegal settlement led to the council’s decision to free the “occupied” lands.

He was replying to the concerns raised by Congress MLA Debabrata Saikia, also the Leader of the Opposition. “The eviction notices have affected some 10,000 people, many of whom have certificates proving residency since 1940 and are included in the updated National Register of Citizens. They face an uncertain future after being told to vacate the land they have called home for decades,” he said.

Protest by tribal organisations

While the KAAC has been working on the eviction, the issue reached a flashpoint on February 15 when members of two tribal organisations — Karbi Students’ Association and Autonomous State Demand Committee Youth Front — staged a protest demanding the eviction of the settlers from the VGR and PGR lands in the Hawaipur area of West Karbi Anglong and the Phuloni area of Karbi Anglong.

The protests led to clashes between the members of these organisations and the settlers.

The KAAC’s chief executive member, Tuliram Ronghang, said the council resolved to evict the settlers “in line with a Supreme Court order” and the Karbi Anglong (Land & Revenue) Act of 1953 in exercise of powers conferred under a relevant clause of the Sixth Schedule.

“The officials concerned have been asked to take necessary steps to evict the unauthorised occupants of the PGR and VGR lands,” he said, asserting that the law would be applied equally to all encroachers belonging to different communities — tribal or non-tribal.

In 2023, Mr Ronghang and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma assured the residents of the Hawaipur and Phuloni areas that they would not be evicted.