"Betrayal of Indigenous People": Upamanyu Hazarika Slams Govt Over Garukhuti Cattle Row

The controversy surrounding the alleged diversion of exotic breed cows from the Garukhuti Project in Assam's Sipajhar to influential politicians, including cabinet minister Jayanta Malla Baruah, has sparked sharp criticism from senior advocate and Prabajan Virodhi Manch leader Upamanyu Hazarika. In a strongly worded statement, Upamanyu Hazarika said the scandal is not just about cattle theft, but a deeper betrayal of the indigenous communities of Assam.

“The diversion or the official theft of cows of exotic breed from the Garukhuti Project in Sipajhar, for use by influential politicians, including Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah, is not yet another scandal,” Hazarika said. “It epitomises the manner in which indigenous people have been cheated by their leaders in the name of expelling foreigners.”

Hazarika alleged that the Garukhuti Dairy and Agricultural Project, which was established on land cleared through evictions of illegal encroachers of Bangladeshi origin, has instead been co-opted for political gain. 

The project was set up in 2021 after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced plans to free over 77,420 bighas (approximately 26,000 acres) of land from encroachers and convert it into a model agricultural and dairy venture. “On assumption of office as Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, in August 2021, declared in a public meeting in Sipajhar that all of the encroached land of 77,420 bighas would be freed of encroachment, and an Agriculture-Cum-Dairy Project established which would ‘feed all of Guwahati’,” Hazarika recalled.

While over 6,000 bighas were freed during eviction operations and handed over to the Garukhuti Project, local indigenous communities who had traditionally used the land for grazing and seasonal farming were denied access. “Local indigenous villagers and cowherds were denied access to such land for grazing cattle and seasonal farming,” he said.

According to Hazarika, over 90% of the land in the Sipajhar Revenue Circle remains under encroachment by persons of Bangladeshi origin. "Over 90% of the land still remains under encroachment by those of Bangladeshi origin, remaining undisturbed. Of the 2,000 families who were evicted, they were relocated to neighbouring Dalgaon and given allotment of land of one Bigha each, along with cash compensation. It is pertinent that in the NRC process in this particular area, over 60% of the residents had been excluded from the Draft NRC," he said. 

He also contrasted the treatment of alleged encroachers in Sipajhar with that of indigenous residents evicted from Amchang and Silsako in Guwahati. “In eviction of indigenous people from Amchang and Silsako, near Guwahati, none of the evictees were compensated with alternate allotments, when their citizenship is beyond doubt,” he said.

“In sum, the so-called eviction in Sipajhar by the Government has benefitted the Bangladeshi encroachers and enriched politicians, making the indigenous worse off,” Hazarika alleged.

The controversy escalated further after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma attempted to downplay the issue during a media interaction on Saturday. Defending the Minister and others involved, Sarma claimed that the exotic breed cows from Garukhuti were “sick and dying,” and their transfer was a way to save the animals from being smuggled to Bangladesh.

“The Chief Minister, in a statement yesterday, has given a new twist to the scandal by saying that the exotic breeds in Garukhuti were sick and dying, and the Minister and other politicians who bought such cows did the Project a favour,” Hazarika noted. “Otherwise, such cows, if sold in an auction, would have been smuggled to Bangladesh.”

Hazarika questioned the timing and substance of Sarma’s defence. “This fact has not been stated either by the Chairman of the Project or the Minister himself, even though this controversy has been festering for the last few days,” he said. “No official document of sick and dying cattle or the reason for such secretive sale of cattle to the Minister or other influential politicians has been stated in the public domain.”

Calling out the Chief Minister’s handling of the issue, Hazarika added, “Usually, the statement of any Chief Minister should not be disputed on the facts. But our Chief Minister has a habit of always twisting the facts and the truth to his advantage.”

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