Staff reporter
Guwahati: A formal petition filed by the Congress leader Debabrata Saikia has urged the Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC) to initiate a suo motu inquiry into widespread evictions and alleged human rights violations across the state. Filed under Section 12(1)(a) of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, the appeal highlights large-scale displacement of tribal, indigenous and minority communities, raising concerns over constitutional rights and India’s international obligations.
According to the petition, nearly 10,000 people were displaced on July 8, 2025, after the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) demolished around 1,400 homes of Bengali-Muslim families in Dhubri district for a solar power project. The rehabilitation site provided is said to be in flood-prone areas, while the case is still pending before the Gauhati High Court.
The document also cites a series of eviction drives in recent years. In Sonapur’s Katchutali area in 2024, eviction operations led to police firing that killed two people and injured 33 others. In Nagaon, farmland at Mikir Bamuni Grant was destroyed between 2019 and 2024 for a solar plant project, allegedly in violation of tenancy and environmental laws. In Karbi Anglong, more than 10,000 tribals and settlers were evicted during 2024–25 without Gram Sabha consultation, contravening Sixth Schedule provisions.
Similarly, in June 2025, over 3,600 bighas of tribal land were cleared in Kokrajhar for a thermal power plant, triggering protests from Bodo and tribal residents. In North Cachar Hills, 9,000 bighas of community land in Umrongso were allotted to a cement company without consultation. In Nalbari, on June 30, 2025, 93 families were evicted, with Anganwadi centres and places of worship also demolished.
The petition further mentions evictions in Goalpara, where more than 7,000 people, many of them erosion victims, were displaced from ecologically sensitive wetlands. In July 2025, thousands were evicted from Alomganj Gaon for the “Advantage Assam 2.0” project, while 220 families in Lakhimpur and 300 Christian tribal families were also displaced.
The appeal argues that these actions violate constitutional protections under Articles 14 and 21, as well as international human rights treaties such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), CEDAW, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). It also cites breaches of key legislations, including the Forest Rights Act, 2006, the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation, 1886, and the Assam (Temporarily Settled Tenancy Areas) Act, 1971.
Also read: Goria Community Eviction in Assam: A Call for Justice
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