Guwahati: More than a thousand people marched through Diphu on Thursday in a massive rally protesting what they described as the systematic sale and transfer of Karbi tribal land to corporate entities in the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) area in Assam.
The rally, organised jointly by opposition political parties along with over 30 student, social and mass organisations, reflected growing public anger over alleged violations of indigenous land rights guaranteed under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
The rally began from Karbi Club and passed through Diphu Market before reaching the office of the Deputy Commissioner, where a detailed memorandum addressed to the Governor of Assam was submitted. The demonstration remained peaceful throughout.
Protesters raised slogans demanding an immediate halt to what they termed the illegal alienation of tribal land, particularly village grazing reserve (VGR), professional grazing reserve (PGR), forest and customary lands.
They alleged that such lands—meant to safeguard the livelihoods and cultural survival of indigenous communities—are being misclassified as “vacant” or “Council khas land” to facilitate their transfer to large corporate projects.
Call for Governor’s Intervention Under Sixth Schedule
In the memorandum, the signatories urged the Governor to invoke his special constitutional powers under the Sixth Schedule to stop ongoing and proposed land allotments by the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council. Referring to the intent of the Constituent Assembly and the recommendations of the Bordoloi Committee, the memorandum argued that the Governor acts as the ultimate constitutional guardian responsible for protecting tribal land and autonomy when autonomous councils and the state government fail to do so.
The memorandum alleged that the KAAC, instead of functioning as a custodian of tribal land, has become an instrument for its transfer to corporate interests without transparency, prior consent of affected villages, or compliance with land acquisition and environmental laws.
Allegations of Large-Scale Land Allotments
The memorandum detailed multiple large-scale projects, including the alleged allotment of around 18,000 bighas of land for a proposed 1,000 MW solar power project involving private companies operating under the umbrella of a state undertaking. Protesters claimed the project could displace up to 25,000 people across 24 villages.
It also referred to a Memorandum of Understanding signed with Reliance Industries Limited for an integrated bio-gas project requiring about 4,000 acres of land, along with reported negotiations for further land transfers to the Adani Group, Patanjali, and Godrej for energy and industrial projects.
According to the memorandum, these land transfers were pursued without Social Impact Assessments, Gram Sabha consent, or compliance with the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, and the Forest Rights Act. Concerns were also raised about similar patterns of land alienation and ecological damage in neighbouring Dima Hasao district.
Fears of Displacement and Environmental Damage
Protesters warned that the projects would result in mass displacement, destruction of forests, fragmentation of wildlife corridors, and irreversible ecological damage in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. They alleged that environmental clearance processes, where initiated, were perfunctory and that preparatory work had begun in some areas without statutory approvals.
Demands
In the memorandum, the protesting organisations demanded an immediate moratorium on all land allotments to corporate entities in Sixth Schedule areas, cancellation of land transfers found to be illegal or fraudulent, and restoration of alienated land to affected tribal communities. They called for strict enforcement of land, forest and environmental laws, and sought an independent inquiry into alleged corruption, criminal breach of trust, and irregularities in compensation and consent processes.
More than 30 organisations and political parties participated in the rally, including the Karbi Students Association (KSA), All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC), Congress, ASDC, CPI(ML), Karbi Anglong Democratic Women Association (KADWA), Indigenous People’s Party (IPP), and several youth, farmers’ and women’s organisations.
Leaders at the rally warned that the agitation would intensify if authorities fail to act, asserting that development cannot come at the cost of dispossession of indigenous communities.