Assam District Administration allegedly involved in Crore rupees land scandal

Guwahati, March 6, 2019:

Since August 2018, a land mafia is running rampant in South Salmara-Mankachar district with its headquarter at Hatsingimari, as alleged by locals. Locals allege that the South Salmara-Mankachar DC Atika Sultana and ADC Saibor Rahman are hand-in-glove with the mafia who have illegally encroached upon the land where shops have been run since time immemorial by small businessmen at the Hatsingimari Supermarket/Kharuabandha weekly market. With the power handed to them by the authorities, this land mafia has allotted the land to rich people in the area after charging huge sums of money (in the range of Rs. 5-7 lakh) from them.

Journalist Manowar Hussain hailing from Hatsingimari, in an interview with InsideNE, said , “We were conducting a hunger strike in protest and at around 11-11:30 the then-SP of the district Amit Kumar Bhuyan, along with Police, started assaulting us. The authorities broke up our democratic protest and over 50 protestors were injured. We were sent running helter-skelter and 14 of us, including me, were arrested from the spot and forwarded to Dhubri jail. After serving a sentence of six days, I was granted bail.”

As per the allegations, these mafia members have given land to 99 people in a first phase of land-grab, and 120 people in the second phase. These illegal activities have raised a hue-and-cry among the local residents and small business owners who were disowned and owing to immense pressure from the people, the 120 plots of land which were given by the mafia in the latter phase have not been occupied by the new 'owners' so far.

As per sources, seven cases had been registered at the Guwahati High Court and the Judge presiding over the matter has ruled these land allotments illegal and declared the whole process null-and-void. But despite the High Court orders, permanent concrete structures have been erected on the plots with no sign of them being returned to the original owners as of yet.

Local businessman Mohammad Nasimul Rahman, talking to InsideNE, said: “These activities started last August and we have organized black days, protests, and hunger strikes in as a mark of protest, but to no avail. They demanded 4-5 lakh rupees from me and have threatened to break my shop if I don’t pay up. Local businessmen have gone to the local DC office to complain, but we were not taken seriously at all. My friend went to the ADC office asking for his property to be returned, but they asked him for a bribe.  Since the High Court cancel order on 27/11/2018, we have been hopeful that the plots would be returned to the rightful owners, but they have continued running these illegal operations. Lakhs and crores of rupees have been usurped in this manner by the authorities.”