GUWAHATI, March 6 � Alleging that around 5,548 bighas of land belonging to 26 sattras of State are under encroachment of illegal migrants, the Bharatiya Janata Yuba Morcha (BJYM), Assam State branch has demanded immediate steps to evict the illegal infiltrators from the sattra land.
The youth organisation, which is carrying out a foot march to gather public opinion on preservation of sattras today met the Governor JB Patnaik and submitted a memorandum, seeking his support for the cause.
Addressing the media here, Mriganka Barman, president of BJYM, Assam said that through the foot march that started on February 20 from Sarbhog in Barpeta, the organisation has covered more than 280 kilometres covering over 50 big and small sattras, namghars, maths etc. of Barpeta, Nalbari and Kamrup. The campaign would culminate on March 16, 2011 at Bardowa after covering Morigaon and Nagaon districts.
"The illegal encroachment on sattra land by Bangladeshis is not just changing the demographic pattern of the localities rapidly, but has also created law and order problems in such areas," Barman said.
"No police action into killings of two Sattradhikars of Adi-Alengi Sattra and Bor Alengi Sattra in Lakhimpur district is also a serious cause of concern that needs immediate attention from the government," he mentioned.
Action was demanded to evict the illegal infiltrators from the land of these religious institutions and hand over all the recovered land to the sattras in the light of the Gauhati High Court judgment and order dated 27-03-1997 in CR No - 1649/91 (Kuntala Deka versus State of Assam) and also order of Assam Board of Revenue in 22R.A(B) 2004 on 18/07/2005 (State acquisition of lands belonging to religious or charitable institutions of Public Nature Act, 1959).
The BJYM also demanded sufficient security to the sattras and formation of a commission to redress all the problems including floods and erosion faced by the 910 sattras of Assam.
"We have sought the Governor's help to bail out these Vaishanavite monasteries from financial crunch and provide necessary assistance in protecting the manuscripts, artifacts and antiques of sattras, which hold immense historic values," said Sayantan Bose, BJYM in-charge of Assam.
