3,000-Bigha Land Row in Dima Hasao Snowballs Into Courtroom and Political Battle

A major political row has erupted after a video of a Gauhati High Court judge reacting to the government’s plan to hand over 3,000 bighas of land in tribal-dominated Dima Hasao district to Mahabali Cement and several other companies went viral across the country. The video, widely shared on social media, has intensified public criticism of what is being described as the government’s “anti-tribal” policy.

Congress leaders, including Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi, publicly shared the viral video, sparking further debate. In response, a BJP spokesperson had earlier filed a complaint with the Registrar of the Gauhati High Court against the circulation of the court footage.

However, in a fresh development, the legal cell of the Assam Pradesh Congress on Wednesday lodged an FIR at Latasil Police Station against BJP spokesperson Jayanta Kumar Goswami. The complaint, signed by advocate Reetam Singh, accuses Goswami of misusing his position and the national emblem Ashoka Stambha in violation of the Advocates Act, 1961, Bar Council rules, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, and provisions of the 2005 law governing national symbols. The Latasil Police has forwarded the FIR to the Registrar of the Gauhati High Court.

Meanwhile, Minister Pijush Hazarika has also come under fire. Advocate Reetam Singh has separately lodged a complaint with the Registrar General of the Gauhati High Court, alleging that the minister unlawfully uploaded the High Court video footage on his Facebook account without due authorization. The complaint stresses that publishing judicial proceedings without permission undermines judicial protocol, and has urged the Registrar to initiate necessary action.

With FIRs now targeting both a BJP spokesperson and a cabinet minister, the controversy over the land allotment and the viral court video has escalated into a full-blown legal and political confrontation in Assam.

Also Read: “Evicted the Orphans, Opened a Hotel”: Gogoi Exposes Dima Hasao Fund Misuse