Axom Nagarik Samaj Slams Government Evictions, Alleges Corporate Land Grab Plot

The Axom Nagarik Samaj, a civil society organization in Assam, issued a strong statement on Thursday condemning the recent eviction drives carried out by the state government in Dhubri and Goalpara districts. The organization alleged that these evictions are part of a larger conspiracy to facilitate land grabs by multinational corporations under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. In its press release, the Samaj argued that since the BJP assumed power in Assam, there has been a deliberate effort to transfer indigenous and public lands to corporate entities, thereby marginalizing local communities, especially the poor and landless.

According to the Samaj, the pattern of government actions reflects a systematic plan to alienate land from local inhabitants and hand it over to powerful business interests. They cited multiple examples, including the proposed Barduar satellite town under the Rabha-Hasong Autonomous Council, where land is being earmarked for development projects; the allocation of land in Lankathar (Karbi Anglong) to the Ambani group for a solar power project; and the alleged transfer of land in Parbatjhora and Kaziranga to multinational corporations. These, the Samaj claims, are part of a growing trend of corporate land acquisition happening under the pretext of development and infrastructure expansion.

One of the most critical concerns raised by the organization is the mass displacement of people in Dhubri district. The Samaj alleged that the land from which people have been evicted is being handed over to the Adani Group for the establishment of thermal power plants. They emphasized that such activities are not isolated events but a continuation of a wider plan that seeks to convert agricultural and community lands into corporate assets. “Multinationals are grabbing land, and we cannot separate this from that process,” the statement said, suggesting that government policies are deliberately aligned with corporate interests at the cost of citizens’ rights.

The Axom Nagarik Samaj also highlighted the historical context of land ownership issues in Assam. They pointed out that a large section of farmers and non-farmers, particularly from tribal and semi-tribal backgrounds, have lived on land without formal documentation or pattas. This, they argued, is a legacy issue caused by a historical absence of the concept of private land ownership among tribal communities and their inability to pay land revenue. As a result, many who have lived on the land for generations are now being declared "encroachers."

In addition to tribal communities, the Samaj also acknowledged that repeated floods and erosion have forced many immigrant Muslims to settle on government land, further complicating the land ownership issue. The organization called for a more humane and historically sensitive approach, emphasizing that eviction should not be viewed in isolation from these socio-economic and environmental realities.

In conclusion, the Axom Nagarik Samaj demanded that the state government immediately stop its pro-corporate land policies and focus instead on granting land rights to indigenous and marginalized communities. They condemned the government's actions as unjust and exploitative, warning that such policies threaten to dispossess vulnerable populations and turn them into cheap laborers for multinational projects.