Raijor Dal, AJYCP warn of indigenous displacement amid Adani project expansion
Groups allege land being handed to Adani while locals face repeated evictions & 'forced' relocation
AJYCP members protesting in Lakshidhar Bora Field in Guwahati
Guwahati, July 29: Concerns over land rights and the alleged displacement of indigenous communities in Assam have intensified, with Raijor Dal and the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) issuing strong statements condemning what they described as “rampant land grabs and demographic aggression".
In separate press statements, the political party and the student organisation expressed growing alarm over the state government’s land policies — particularly in relation to the expansion of Adani Group projects and what they termed an "unchecked influx" of non-indigenous settlers.
Raijor Dol has sharply criticised the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government over the proposed construction of Adani's AER City, for which 410 bighas of land in Azara, Mirza, and Gorol are being acquired.
The acquisition is expected to impact 1,116 families, many of whom have already lost land in previous expansions of the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, he said.
“This is the fourth time land from these villages is being acquired. For many, only their homestead land remains. If the current acquisition proceeds, they will lose even that,” Raijor Dal said in its statement.
The area under Azara, now merged into the Jalukbari constituency post-delimitation, has been pointed out as being strategically included for political gains.
From Rs 840-crore smart meter contracts and a 3,000 MW thermal power project in Dhubri to a 12,000-bigha solar farm in Karbi Anglong, a 9,000-bigha cement plant in Dima Hasao, control over Assam’s major airport, and now the proposed AER City — everything is for Adani, the statement added.
Raijor Dal also accused the state of offering financial assistance and easing regulatory processes to facilitate Adani’s projects, despite the resulting displacement of local, primarily indigenous communities.
Meanwhile, the AJYCP has reignited its long-standing demands for stringent land laws and the implementation of an inter-state pass system to protect Assam's indigenous population.
The AJYCP has demanded a state-wide land law, similar to the one imposed in Barpeta and Barduwa Satra, that allows only residents of three generations to buy or sell land.
The organisation also reiterated its demand for a constitutional inter-state documentation system—similar to the Inner Line Permit in several Northeastern states—to curb the unchecked influx of outsiders into Assam.
While Raijor Dal has highlighted the contrast in the government’s eviction drives, targeting minority-occupied lands in Dhubri while facilitating land handovers to corporate interests in Karbi Anglong, the AJYCP has warned of an impending demographic and cultural crisis if protective measures are not implemented immediately.
Both groups stressed that land rights for indigenous people and the preservation of Assam’s identity must be prioritised over private industrial interests.
If the demands remain unheeded, the AJYCP has vowed to intensify its democratic movement in collaboration with local communities.