STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: A bitter public spat over alleged land ownership in the reserved tribal belt of Sonapur intensified after Leader of the Opposition in Assam Legislative Assembly (ALA) Debabrata Saikia published company documents and challenged senior BJP minister Ashok Singhal to produce land records or swear an affidavit denying ownership.
Saikia posted corporate filings on his Facebook page that, he says, show an entry in the FY 2023-24 balance sheet of Protech Buildcon Private Limited listing "Land at Sonapur" valued at Rs 1.34 crore under Property, Plant and Equipment. He urged the minister to publish the plot's dag and patta numbers or file an affidavit that no such land exists in his or his family's name.
Saikia's post frames the matter as more than a technical accounting entry. He linked Protech Buildcon to other entities he said are connected to Singhal's family and called for "documentary clarity" rather than rumours. Saikia also referenced local sensitivities: he said the parcel is reportedly adjacent to Zubeen Kshetra, and alleged previous attempts to transfer land belonging to a women's association in Dhekiajuli into members of Singhal's family. Saikia warned he would reveal further documents only after Singhal clarified the Sonapur entry.
Singhal had earlier denied the allegations and issued a hardline public rebuttal, challenging Saikia to prove that "even an inch" of land belonging to him or his family had been illegally occupied. Singhal reportedly said that if proven, he would quit politics and leave Assam.
In his Facebook message accepting the challenge, Saikia wrote, "I ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE! Minister Ashok Singhal, you yesterday publicly challenged me to produce proof that you or your family own land in the tribal belt at Sonapur. You may have thought I was speaking recklessly, but the public has a right to know the truth. I am not relying on newspaper reports or rumours - I am publishing your own company's documents.
"The latest balance sheet (FY 2023-24) of Protech Buildcon Private Limited shows, in 'Note 9: Property, Plant and Equipment' under 'Own Assets': 'Land at Sonapur' valued at Rs 13,406,000 (Rs 1.34 crore). If your CA has certified these records falsely, you should take action against them. I dare you to file an affidavit demonstrating within 24 hours that neither you, nor your family, nor any company associated with you holds land in Sonapur, and that the parcel next to Zubeen Kshetra is not yours. If that is true, we demand the government allocate that land to the Kshetra.
"The people have seen attempts to transfer land belonging to the women's association in Dhekiajuli into your family's name; they have seen the illegal constructions your company is allegedly involved in within Guwahati. I will disclose more evidence only after you submit a sworn clarification about Sonapur. The truth cannot be hidden, Minister."
Saikia also warned that "outsiders" could not intimidate the Ahom people, adding that history would be a witness to the claims.
It needs to be mentioned that Saikia has set a 24-hour deadline for an affidavit. If Singhal does not respond with the requested land records or denial, Saikia has promised to make additional allegations public.
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