“Withdraw the Project”: Barduar’s Spiritual Resistance Shines Through Lamps

Residents of Barduar in Assam held a peaceful yet powerful protest on Monday evening, lighting lamps across the region to urge Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to formally cancel the proposed Barduar Satellite Township Project. The demonstration, organized by the Barduar Bagan Bhumi Pattan Demand Committee, saw wide participation, with lamps lit in temples, monasteries, churches, and other religious institutions as a mark of resistance.

The symbolic protest comes exactly one month after the Chief Minister, during a public meeting in Azara on June 29, 2025, stated that if the people of Barduar did not want the township, they should express their opposition in writing. He had assured that the government would respect the people's decision and cancel the project accordingly.

However, residents allege that no official communication or order has been issued since, leading to growing concern and frustration. Many fear displacement and loss of ancestral land if the township project moves forward.

As a show of unity, locals lit lamps simultaneously at multiple sites across Barduar, expressing both spiritual reverence for the land and collective resistance to the project. Organizers said the lighting of lamps was not just a protest, but a sacred appeal to protect the fertile and culturally significant lands of Barduar.

Speaking to the media, members of the Barduar Bagan Bhumi Pattan Demand Committee reiterated their demand for a formal, written declaration from both the Chief Minister and Tankeswar Rabha, Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council, officially scrapping the project.

“The Chief Minister had promised to withdraw the project if people opposed it. We've submitted petitions, held meetings, and made our stand clear. But without a formal announcement, we cannot be at ease. Tonight’s protest is a reminder of that,” said one of the organizers.

Locals argue that the proposed satellite township threatens large-scale land alienation and could irreversibly alter the region’s socio-cultural fabric. Many among the protesting groups—tea garden workers, indigenous communities, and other local residents—claim ancestral rights over the land demarcated for the project.

The protest once again spotlights pressing concerns over land rights, displacement, and the lack of transparency in large-scale development initiatives in Assam.

As of now, the state government and the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council have issued no formal response regarding the status of the Barduar Satellite Township Project.

Also Read: Barduar Residents Stand Firm: No Satellite Township on Tea Estate Land