Organized by indigenous rights groups, the rally saw fierce opposition to the government’s move to hand over land to industrial giants and build infrastructure projects in ecologically sensitive areas.
BY PC Bureau
Hundreds gathered at Borduwar Bagan playground under Palashbari constituency in Assam on Tuesday to stage a massive protest against two contentious government projects: a proposed satellite township near Guwahati and a hydropower dam on the Kulsi River near the Assam-Meghalaya border.
Organized by the Land Patta Demand Committee, the demonstration saw angry slogans and vocal opposition from local residents, who vowed not to surrender their land for what they called “destructive development.”
The protestors demanded the immediate cancellation of the township plan at Borduwar and the hydropower project at Ukiam. At a large citizens’ meeting, they listed key demands, including:
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Issuance of land pattas (titles) to indigenous families in Borduwar Bagan
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Protection of tribal belts and blocks
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Enforcement of Forest Rights Act provisions granting 29.5 bighas to forest dwellers
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Preservation of Chandubi Lake’s biodiversity
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A halt to evictions of indigenous people
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Cancellation of the proposed logistics park at Darabil wetlands
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An end to forceful evictions in Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao, BTR, and other regions
Govind Rabha, chief convener of the Bhoomi Pattan Demand Committee, presided over the meeting. Aditya Nag, secretary of the Bagan Land Patta Demand Committee, outlined the movement’s objectives.
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Retired IAS officer John Engti Kathar accused authorities of a systematic attempt to dispossess indigenous communities. “Protest is our only defense,” he asserted.
Moina Goswami of cultural group Sadichcha warned the crowd against government tactics aimed at dividing the people. Guwahati High Court advocate Kishor Kumar Kalita encouraged citizens to stay united and maintain their land documents, emphasizing legal protections under the Forest Rights Act and Tenancy Act.
Fellow advocate Krishna Gogoi echoed this sentiment: “As long as the people are united, eviction will not succeed.”
Former RSU president Ramen Singh Rabha delivered a fiery speech condemning what he described as political opportunism, specifically targeting Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council chief Tankeshwar Rabha. “We don’t need Ambani’s township. We want legal land leases. We are not scavengers; we are guardians,” he declared.
Criticism of the BJP-led government was a consistent theme, with speakers accusing it of exploiting people and nature. Protestors warned against those acting as intermediaries for the government and decried land transfers to industrialists.
Madan Das called for an “inner line permit” system in Assam, claiming that its absence had opened the doors for powerful outsiders to exploit local resources. Jayant Rabha from the Assam-Meghalaya Joint Prevention Committee accused both state governments of threatening livelihoods and biodiversity.
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Aditya Rabha, advisor to the Bhumi Patton Demand Committee, warned against the transfer of 1,500 acres of land to the GMDA and pledged continued resistance. He also announced that various ethnic groups—including Rabha, Garo, and Adivasi—will soon launch a road blockade in the Bagan area to intensify pressure on the government.
