OUR CORRESPONDENT
KOKRAJHAR: Continuing the demand for eviction of all illegal encroachers in reserve forests and tribal belts and blocks, the Bodoland Janajati Suraksha Manch (BJSM) has also urged the new NDA 3.0 Assam Government led by Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma to start the drive from the Mojabari tribal belt in Chirang, bordering Kokrajhar district.
The BJSM has strongly urged the Government of Assam to immediately launch a massive eviction drive against illegal encroachers occupying tribal belts and blocks across BTR and rest of Assam and restore the lands to the rightful indigenous tribal people. The organization has submitted a detailed memorandum to the chief minister of Assam expressing serious concern over the continuous illegal occupation of protected tribal lands by non-protected and non-tribal people, which it says has posed a grave threat to the existence, identity, and future of the indigenous Bodo and other tribal communities.
“The land of our forefathers is slipping away right before our eyes. If immediate steps are not taken, the indigenous tribal people may lose not only their land but also their identity, language, culture, and political existence in future,” Narzary said.
The BJSM specifically demanded that the eviction drive should be initiated immediately from Mojabari village under Sidli tribal belt, which was created on December 5, 1947. According to the BJSM, the original Bodo tribal pattadars still legally own the land and continue paying land revenue regularly, but the lands remain under illegal occupation by Muslim encroachers.
BJSM further stated that the Executive Magistrate of Chirang District had already declared that the land belonged to the Bodo tribal pattadars and that it had been illegally occupied by the encroachers. The matter was later forwarded to the BTC authority for necessary action, but no visible action has yet been taken.
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