Indigenous Communities protest against Land Grab Conspiracy

A massive protest was held in the Boroduar Bagan region of the Goalpara district, where Indigenous communities came together to assert their rights over land they have long inhabited. With banners stating "The land belongs to those who occupy it—first give us the land, then give it to the traders," local men and women from various tribal communities rallied to protect their ancestral land from external forces trying to seize it.

Since early morning, Indigenous people from far-flung villages have gathered to resist the threat of losing the land they have occupied for decades. Amid growing fears of displacement, many workers, shopkeepers, and farmers have left their fields to join the protest, expressing their fear of losing the land that they have been tilling for generations.

In an intense scene witnessed yesterday in Boroduar Bagan, tribal people, cutting down the forest in defiance, organized a large protest to oppose the government's alleged plans to evict families from their land to make way for outside business interests. The protest was aimed at voicing concerns over an external initiative to seize land from local Indigenous families in the Rabha Hasong Autonomous District.

Over 2,100 Rabha families from Boroduar Bagan have been protesting for years, demanding their rightful ownership of the land. The local Indigenous people are particularly concerned about the government’s plans to relocate families, which could cause them to lose their land due to external commercial interests.

In a historic move, several villagers have come together and declared that they will not give up their land under any circumstances. Many local leaders have expressed their intent to escalate the struggle if the government's plans are not reversed. "We will shed blood but not part with our land," they stated, standing united against the government's perceived targeting of Indigenous people.

Several key decisions were made at the meeting, including the decision to intensify the struggle until land titles are issued and demands for the reversal of any land transfer policies are met. The protest was organized by the Land Rights Joint Struggle Committee, the Boroduar Bagan Land Rights Demand Committee, and other local organizations. Key speakers included Shantanu Borah, lawyer from Gauhati High Court, Subrata Talukdar, Convenor of the Land Rights Joint Struggle Committee, Krishna Gogoi, Devjit Chowdhury, Jayanta Gogoi from the All India Kisan Sabha, and others.

The Indigenous communities have made it clear: they will continue to fight for their land and will not back down in the face of displacement.