Encroachers Evicted, But What About Officials Who Enabled Them? APW Questions Govt

In a bold show of support for the ongoing forest eviction drive in Assam, Assam Public Works (APW) has issued a strong statement backing the government’s efforts to reclaim encroached forest land while simultaneously demanding the immediate dismissal of senior bureaucrat Munindra Nath Ngatey, ACS, over his alleged involvement in a major land scam during his earlier tenure in Sonapur.

The statement, released to the press on Thursday, APW Chairman Abhijeet Sharma praised Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s “unprecedented and courageous” actions to free forest areas from decades of illegal occupation. The group urged all communities, irrespective of religion, language, or ethnicity, to support the initiative in the larger interest of Assam’s environment and future generations.

“Encroachment must be dealt with firmly, regardless of who is responsible,” the statement read. “If forest land has been encroached upon, eviction is inevitable. The government must rise above political compulsions and continue this mission without fear or favour.”

Transfer Not Enough: Dismiss Ngatey, Says APW

While welcoming the government’s recent punitive transfer of Munindra Nath Ngatey from Biswanath to Dima Hasao, the group said the move was inadequate. They demanded that the senior Assam Civil Service (ACS) officer be immediately terminated from service for his alleged role in facilitating illegal land transfers during his time as Sonapur Revenue Circle Officer.

According to the APW chairman, Ngatey played a central role in a land scam dating back to 2015–16, wherein approximately 60 bighas of tribal land in Kamarkuchi village under Panbari Mouza were sold to individuals operating under Hindu-sounding company names—allegedly to bypass tribal land protection norms.

The group alleges that Ngatey, then Circle Officer, signed off on land sale permissions and forwarded them to the Deputy Commissioner’s office, where they were swiftly approved by the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) of Kamrup (Metro) on February 24, 2016.

The land, originally belonging to indigenous Karbi families, was allegedly transferred to:

• Abu Mohammad Roushan Iqbal (Ganesh Enterprise) – 13 bighas

• Mokbul Tapadar (Nilachal Enterprise) – 22 bighas

• Ainul Haque (Saraighat Enterprise) – 25 bighas

“These were not mere clerical lapses,” the statement asserted. “This was a calculated operation involving illegal transfer of tribal land to outsiders under the garb of legitimate documentation. It is shocking that a tribal officer like Ngatey would approve the sale of fellow tribespeople’s land to people with no legal right to purchase it.”

The group further claimed that the land in question may fall within the Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary or Assam’s protected Tribal Belt and Block areas, making the transactions doubly illegal. Despite the BJP government revoking the land deals in 2018, they alleged the land remains in the possession of the buyers to this day.

Political Collusion Alleged

The group alleged that the land grab was backed by a powerful minority politician of the time and that Ngatey was closely aligned with him. The land was reportedly meant for setting up luxury resorts after being purchased at dirt-cheap prices—an operation allegedly facilitated by Ngatey from within the bureaucracy.

“This land scam is just the tip of the iceberg,” the statement said. “There are deeper political and bureaucratic nexuses that need to be exposed. We have already submitted a detailed complaint with evidence to the Chief Minister on April 9 this year.”

Following the complaint, the Chief Minister’s Office reportedly directed the Kamrup (Metro) Deputy Commissioner on June 30 to initiate a formal investigation into the matter.

Demand for High-Level Probe

Citing the seriousness of the allegations, the group called for the formation of a Special Investigation Committee comprising a retired judge, a senior police officer, a top revenue official, a senior forest officer, and tribal representatives to probe the land scam thoroughly.

“The eviction drive is commendable, but the credibility of the mission depends on whether the government is equally willing to hold its own officers accountable,” the statement concluded. “A mere transfer is not justice. Munindra Nath Ngatey must be dismissed immediately, and a fair, high-level investigation must be launched without delay.”

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