On January 10, 2023, the Assam State Forest Department carried out an eviction drive at Pabha Reserve Forest in North Assam’s Lakhimpur district. They were aided by district administration officials, and over 600 police and CRPF personnel during the eviction. A total of 500 families living in the reserve forest under Bihpuria and Nowboicha revenue circles of the district were evicted during the anti-encroachment drive and 450 hectares of land were cleared.
The eviction drive was conducted over two days. On the first day, evictions were carried out in the Mohghuli village. On the next day, it was the Adhakhana area of the reserve forest that was cleared of evictions.
Several houses were demolished, mustard cultivations and trees planted by the evicted families were destroyed. Around 300 families had already vacated their houses before the eviction began. While a few left on the morning of the eviction.
Speaking to LCW, one of the residents who was evicted, Rofiqul Ahmed said, “We purchased this land from a local xatradhikar (priest) three decades back. Since then we have been residing here.”
Another evicted person, who did not wish to be named, said they had applied for forest rights over the land under the Forest Rights Act of 2006. However, their applications were rejected. He further said the Assam government had provided them with land ownership in earlier decades. “When we submitted the same to this government, they rejected it.” he added.
The evicted families also claimed that they had been residing in the area for decades and paying land revenue taxes to the government.
“The people of these areas have been living here for decades. Houses were built under the PMAY scheme, Anganwadi centres were built by the state, electricity connection and roads under the MGNREGA program were all made,” said Anwarul, Lakhimpur district secretary of All Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU). He questioned how these people were selected for beneficiary schemes if they were illegally residing in the area.
AIUDF chief and Lok Sabha MP Badruddin Ajmal said the eviction drive was carried out in a selective and discriminatory by targeting a particular community.
Lakhimpur Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sumit Sattawan said the people living in the encroached areas were notified by the Forest Department as well as the district administration two years back to vacate the area.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand for rehabilitation
Demand for compensation
Demand for legal recognition of land rights
Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Common
Forest and Non-Forest
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Other Natural Resource extraction/dependence, Agricultural land, Residential area
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
Yes
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Non-implementation/violation of FRA
Forced evictions/dispossession of land
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Pending
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Gauhati High Court
Case Number
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Displacement
Killing
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
No
Reported Details of the Violation:
No alternative place was provided to the evicted people to stay.
Date of Violation
January 9, 2023
Location of Violation
Pabha Reserve Forest
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Assam Environment and Forest Department, Assam Revenue and Disaster Management Department
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Yes
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
All Assam Minorities Students' Union (AAMSU)
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
Mahesh is a journalist based in Guwahati, Assam. He is currently a senior copy editor in Northeast Now (nenow.in), a bilingual news portal covering Northeast India. He has formerly worked as a senior reporter in Eastern Chronicle, an English daily published from Kolkata and Guwahati, and as a senior sub editor in The Sentinel, an English daily published from Guwahati. He is a recipient of the National Media Award presented by the National Foundation for India, New Delhi. Mahesh has completed five media fellowships on diverse issues in the Northeastern region and translates from English to Assamese and vice versa. His translated work so far is Prachanda: Maobadi Bidrohor Anya Naam.
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