OUR CORRESPONDENT
KOKRAJHAR: The BJSM (Bodoland Janajati Suraksha Mancha) on Monday asked the ABMSU (All Bodoland Minority Students 'Union) and also the chief of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), Pramod Boro to stop playing politics over the eviction order issued by the Gauhati High Court to evict all illegal encroachers in tribal belts and blocks in BTR (Bodoland Territorial Region) as well as across Assam.
BJSM president Janaklal Basuamtary alleged that both the ABMSU and BTC chief Pramod Boro were not taking the correct legal view and were playing politics with protected land rights of the tribal populace in the State as well as in the BTR. He further said that both did not have even little regard for the Constitution-granted protection of the tribals' political and land rights from the domination and exploitation of people of larger and stronger communities.
He said, "The Assam Land and Land Revenue Regulation Act-1986 was amended in 1947 just after Independence and Chapter-X was inserted in the mentioned land regulation Act of Assam. This has provided reserved land for the tribal people in their predominantly inhabited areas across Assam. These areas are notified as tribal belts and blocks. This is basically reserved for Scheduled Tribes; but, some permanent residents, backward classes, not being migrants SCs, tea worker community, Nepali graziers' community were also included as protected class in the tribal belts and blocks allowing them to carry on transactions of land in the tribal belts and blocks of Assam."
He added that the Nepali graziers were excluded from the 'protected class' list from 1959, whereas the indigenous Koch-Rajbongshis of the erstwhile undivided Goalpara district, not being Rajbongshis of West Bengal and Bangladesh migrants, were included in protected class in Dhubri, Goalpara and Kokrajhar districts in 1985 and in Bongaigaon district in 1990 after they are notified as OBC.
"Barring such protected class of people, no other non-protected class of people staying or entering for staying purpose in tribal belts and blocks area after the notification, has land transaction right.
"Any non-protected class of people who occupies or acquires land in tribal belts and blocks area after the notification of tribal belts and blocks by the Revenue department, Government of Assam, is treated as illegal encroachers liable to be evicted forthwith as per provision of Chapter X of the said ALLRR Act, 1886 as amended in 1947."
Basumatary pointed out that as per record, over 4 lakh bighas of protected tribal lands had been encroached upon by the non-protected class of people over the period of years after the notification of protected area of tribal belts and blocks of Assam, out of which now 3 lakh bighas were in BTC alone.
"The successive governments in Assam failed to implement this provision of Assam land law followed by BTC in later period. Hence, there was PIL case in Gauhati High Court, consequently this eviction order against the illegal encroachers of non-protected class of people. "
He added, "The ABMSU is not correct to say that this order is for eviction of minority people from BTR by BTC chief Pramod Boro. The Court's order is for eviction of illegal encroachers of non-protected class, both minority and majority communities, in Assam, including BTC. So eviction order is not confined to BTR only nor it is only for minority community, it is for whole of Assam, including BTR, and for both Hindu and Muslim non- protected class of illegal encroachers in protected tribal belts and block areas of Assam."
He also said that the threat by ABMSU to protest violently if minority people were evicted, was illegal and demanded that strong legal action should be taken against them under the appropriate law of the land.
He also added that the BTC chief will have to comply with the High Court's order to evict all the non-protected class of encroachers from tribal belts and blocks area of BTC.