HT Bureau
DIPHU, Jan 8: In a major show of unity, opposition parties, student bodies, youth organisations and women’s groups staged a large protest across Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong on Thursday, opposing the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council’s (KAAC) policy of allotting tribal land to corporate houses.
The demonstration began at the Karbi Club in Rongnihang and culminated in a procession to the District Commissioner’s office, where a joint memorandum was submitted to Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya through District Commissioner Aranyak Saikia. Protesters filled the streets with banners and slogans defending the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution with chants like “Ambani Adani mati diya nohobo” and “Solar project nalage.”
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JI Kathar, president of the All Party Hills Leaders Conference (APHLC), alleged that the BJP-led government is bypassing constitutional protections to transfer indigenous land to corporate giants such as Ambani, Adani, Greenko, Hinduja, Patanjali and Godrej. Raton Ingti, president of the Karbi Anglong District Congress, criticised the KAAC leadership for endangering tribal land under the current CEMship.
Representatives from neighbouring Dima Hasao, including Nirmal Langthasa (Congress) and Jowel Garlosas (Sixth Scheduled Protection Committee), highlighted similar land alienation for mining and hydro projects in their districts. Social activist Sutradhar Talukdar raised concerns over the state government’s delay in submitting an affidavit to the Gauhati High Court regarding the eviction process.
The joint memorandum outlined four demands: an immediate probe into land allotments to corporates over the last three years; a halt on all project activities until compliance with the Forest Rights Act and environmental laws; new rules preventing transfer of tribal land without Gram Sabha consent and an investigation into dispossession and environmental damage.
The protest marked unprecedented cooperation among political rivals, including APHLC, KADCC, DHDCC, CPI (ML) Hills Party Committee, NPP (Karbi Anglong Unit), IPP and ASDC(S), along with civil society groups like the Karbi Students’ Association, Hills Tribal League and Karbi Anglong Women Justice Forum.
