Concern Raised Over Encroachment In Tirap Tribal Belt

Mithun Baruah

Communist Party of India (Marxist Lenisist) Central Committee member Balindra Saikia and state committee member Purna Kakoty conducted a field investigation in the Tirap Tribal Belt at 83rd  Margherita constituency in Tinsukia district on Monday. 

The team met with Kotha Sema gam village Chief King Sengam Singpho and their family members to discuss recent land encroachment issues in the Tirap Tribal Belt as the team observed that out of approximately 5,000 bighas of land owned by Kotha Sema village Chief in the Tirap Tribal Belt, where several thousand bighas of land have been illegally and forcefully encroached upon by non-tribal individuals in the past, and recently, an attempt was made to encroach upon an additional 32 bighas, which was halted due to the efforts of indigenous Singpho community people residing at Margherita region since many centuries.

When the BJP came to power in the state, it promised to protect the Jati,Mati and Bheti 
(identity,land and foundation) of indigenous communities, as however, the marginalized and innocent Singpho community is now facing a severe crisis as their land is being encroached upon daily by outsiders. 

While the BJP government is carrying out eviction drives to clear encroachments in tribal belt and blocks across various parts of the state, it remains conspicuously indifferent to the Tirap Tribal Belt as this is because the Margherita MLA Bhaskar Sharma, who is reportedly very close to the Chief Minister, has become a symbol of land encroachment in the Tirap Tribal Belt area under 83rd Margherita Legislative Assembly Constituency in Tinsukia district said Balindra Saikia. 

There is widespread public discussion about a controversial letter allegedly written by Bhaskar Sharma to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma, and if proven true, it would establish Bhaskar Sharma as the primary patron of land encroachment said Balindra Saikia. 

The team demanded that the BJP led  government must enact strict laws to protect land at tribal belts and blocks, conduct a proper investigation into the circumstances of encroachment in the Tirap Tribal Belt, grant land rights to indigenous people, flood-affected individuals or those who lost everything due to natural disasters among the encroachers, and take swift measures to prevent further encroachments in the Tribal Belt and Block land said Balindra Saikia.

Also Read: Over 1.19 Lakh Bighas of Land Freed from Encroachment in Assam: CM Sarma