‘No Land for Adani’: Fresh Land Justice Stir in Assam’s Bodoland

This time in Bodoland, where demands for land justice by indigenous communities are gaining momentum, tensions have escalated yet again in Assam. Following similar flashpoints in Karbi Anglong and Kamrup districts, a new front has opened in Kokrajhar, with locals mounting a fierce protest against land demarcation for a proposed thermal power project by the Adani Group.

Tensions ran high on Wednesday morning as local villagers and the district administration clashed over boundary marking for the Parbatjhora–Basbari thermal power project. The project, backed by the Assam and Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) governments, is slated to be developed on approximately 3,600 bighas of land — a move that has sparked outrage among residents.

Early in the morning, Kokrajhar district officials arrived to initiate the demarcation process. But they were met with resistance: hundreds of villagers, predominantly from the local Bodo community, gathered in defiance to block the survey. Police personnel were deployed in large numbers to control the situation.

By midday, the standoff intensified into clashes, with reports of stone-pelting between protestors and security forces. Villagers raised impassioned slogans — “We’ll spill blood, but never give up our land!” — and demanded the physical presence of BTR Chief Pramod Boro before any further proceedings. Protestors also directed sharp criticism at BJP leader and former MLA Banendra Kumar Mushahary, accusing him of pushing the project forward without local consent.

Kokrajhar Superintendent of Police Pushpraj Singh later reached the scene and attempted to mediate with protest leaders, but the talks failed to calm the situation. 

By late afternoon, a tense calm prevailed, with authorities calling off the demarcation temporarily. Officials are expected to hold follow-up meetings with community representatives in the coming days.

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