Guwahati, July 5: The Assam Congress Legislature Party has appealed to the Governor of Assam to immediately intervene and halt ongoing and proposed eviction drives targeting tribal, indigenous, and erosion-displaced communities across the state.
The memorandum sent to the Assam Governor expresses deep concern over the state government’s alleged disregard for legal safeguards, human rights, and constitutional provisions in its recent eviction operations.
Citing a series of eviction incidents from 2019 to 2025, the party urged the Governor to act as the “constitutional conscience of the State” and protect vulnerable communities from what it described as dispossession under the pretext of development.
Among its key appeals, Congress urged the Governor to:
1. Immediately halt all eviction drives affecting indigenous, tribal, and erosion-hit families.
2. Constitute an independent commission of inquiry into all evictions conducted since 2022, with special attention to violations in Sixth Schedule areas and Tribal Belts/Blocks.
3. Direct all Autonomous Councils and district authorities to comply with constitutional mandates, including Gram Sabha consultations as required under the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), 1996.
4. Publish a clear land rights regularisation policy that distinguishes between long-settled communities and recent encroachers.
5. Ensure humane rehabilitation measures, including housing, land, or compensation, in line with Article 21 of the Constitution and India’s obligations under the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).
The memorandum emphasizes that many of the affected communities—such as the Boro, Karbi, Ahom, Garo, Rabha, Nepali, and Bengali-origin Muslim populations—have historical ties to Assam, some dating back centuries. It noted that many displaced individuals are erosion-affected citizens with valid land documents or ancestral leaseholds, and in some cases, names on electoral rolls dating back to 1950.
Citing violations of the Forest Rights Act, the Assam (Temporarily Settled Areas) Tenancy, the party stated that these evictions “threaten to dispossess the very people whose land rights the Constitution seeks to uphold.”
The Congress party also criticized the apparent failure of state policies like Mission Basundhara 3.0 to provide real protections, arguing that official assurances have not translated into on-the-ground relief for affected families.
An annexure to the memorandum includes a proposed People’s Charter for Humane and Lawful Eviction Policy, outlining ten key reforms such as a uniform eviction protocol, legal aid mechanisms, rehabilitation frameworks, and protection for ecologically and culturally sensitive zones.
