Under the Advantage Assam initiative, 3,400 bighas are being transferred for a thermal power project—triggering mass resistance.
BY PC Bureau
June 15, 2025 —Tensions are running high in Assam’s Kokrajhar district as hundreds of tribal residents from the Paglijhora Protected Reserved Forest (PRF) have entered the fifth day of protests against the alleged allocation of their land to the Adani Group for a thermal power project. The unrest turned confrontational on Saturday after local political representatives arrived at the site, triggering clashes with angry villagers who suspect a secret land survey is underway.
The epicenter of the agitation is the Banshbari-Paglijhora region, under the jurisdiction of the Parbatjhora Forest Division in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR). Protesters have blockaded the vital Gauripur–Banshbari PWD road, bringing vehicular traffic to a grinding halt. Tensions remain volatile as community leaders and activists warn of intensified resistance unless the state reverses its decision.
Protest by locals of Parbatjhora against the Government’s decision to handover 3600 bighas to Adani Group.
An agitated protester is seen pouring petrol over himself during the protest.
This is another Organized Loot.. pic.twitter.com/VOmEtl6FFT
— Assam Congress (@INCAssam) June 12, 2025
Background: What Is the Adani Project in Kokrajhar?
The proposed project falls under the Assam government’s flagship investment drive, Advantage Assam, which was launched in 2018 to position the state as India’s next big investment destination. Under this initiative, the Adani Group was reportedly offered approximately 3,400 bighas (1,120 acres) of land in Kokrajhar to set up a thermal power plant aimed at bolstering the region’s energy infrastructure and creating jobs.
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While the government hails the project as a step toward industrial growth, critics say it comes at a grave cost to indigenous communities who have lived on and cultivated the forest land for generations. For these families, the land is not just a resource—it is the bedrock of their identity, livelihood, and culture.
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‘We Will Not Move’: A Community’s Stand
Residents of Paglijhora, many of whom are forest-dwelling tribal people living below the poverty line, accuse the government of failing to conduct public consultations or offer rehabilitation plans. Villagers claim they were not informed of the land transfer until survey teams began entering the area.
Barely any reports about the protests in Kokrajhar against Adani + APDCL’s new project and the only reports that did make it disappear. This is what Adani’s good friend @himantabiswa is doing on the side while doing his FRAUD ‘foriegner activism’
Also YUCK @IndiaToday pic.twitter.com/IsqF7dvpVv
— Greeshma Kuthar (@jeegujja) June 12, 2025
“This land is our lifeline. We have tilled it, lived on it, and buried our ancestors here. The government cannot just give it away,” said Mainao Basumatary, a protesting villager. “This is not development—this is displacement in the name of corporate profit.”
The sentiment was echoed by community leaders who have described the situation as a “life-and-death fight” to protect ancestral land from industrial encroachment.
Growing Solidarity and Political Pressure
Saturday’s protests drew widespread support from tribal organizations such as the Boro Sahitya Sabha and the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), as well as the Tribal Sangh. Leaders from these groups visited the protest site, urging the government to halt the project and start a dialogue with the affected communities.
“This is a peaceful but determined fight,” said Niranjan Brahma of the Tribal Sangh. “The BTR administration must reconsider this decision. There are other places where this plant can be built—why displace poor tribal families?”
Calls are growing for a formal environmental impact assessment (EIA), as well as an independent inquiry into how forest land—meant to be protected—was earmarked for industrial use.
What the Government Says
So far, the Assam government and BTR authorities have remained tight-lipped, offering no formal statement in response to the protests. However, sources indicate that the land transfer was processed as part of a larger memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the Adani Group during the Advantage Assam Global Investors Summit held in Guwahati.
Critics allege that the decision bypassed the Forest Rights Act, 2006, which mandates consultation with gram sabhas (village assemblies) before any forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes. If proven, it could amount to a serious violation of both environmental law and tribal rights.
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As the blockade enters its fifth day, the protestors have vowed to escalate their movement if their voices continue to be ignored. They are demanding the immediate suspension of the land survey, cancellation of the land allocation, and legal recognition of their rights to the forest land.
The situation in Kokrajhar may soon become a flashpoint for broader debates on tribal rights, land use, and corporate accountability in India’s Northeast—a region already sensitive to questions of identity, autonomy, and marginalization.
