Guwahati, June 14: The All Assam Tribal Students’ Union (AATSU) has accused the Assam government, the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), and the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council (DHAC) of violating constitutional safeguards and displacing indigenous communities through large-scale, illegal transfer of protected tribal lands for corporate and infrastructural projects.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Saturday, AATSU president Hariswar Brahma alleged that the government has initiated a series of development projects in protected tribal areas—without consultation, consent, or compensation—threatening the livelihoods and cultural identity of various tribal groups, including the Bodo, Rabha, Garo, Dimasa, and Karbi communities.
Among the projects cited by the student body are the proposed Barduar Satellite Township in Kamrup district, which covers 1,500 acres of notified tribal land, and the allotment of 3,600 bighas in Bashbari, Kokrajhar, to the Adani Group for an Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd (APDCL) initiative. Additionally, 2,400 bighas have reportedly been transferred for a proposed Railway Coach Factory, while 1,000 bighas in the same region have been allocated for a Border Security Force (BSF) camp. In Dima Hasao’s Umrongso area, the government has allotted 9,000 bighas for another Adani-led power project.
“These land transfers are taking place in areas governed by strong legal and constitutional protections, including Sixth Schedule provisions and the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act, 1886,” the statement said. “However, the rights of tribal people are being ignored in favour of corporate giants with close ties to those in power.”
The AATSU warned that these decisions were part of a broader trend of displacing tribal populations under the pretext of development. The union argued that the actions violate constitutional guarantees that empower autonomous councils to control land and preserve tribal customs. “The BTC and DHAC are mandated to safeguard tribal lands, not transfer them to external entities,” Brahma said.
The student body also drew attention to the Gauhati High Court’s observations in PIL 78/2012, which, they said, had called for equal and lawful enforcement of eviction policies. “While indigenous people are being evicted without due process, illegal settlements by non-tribals remain untouched,” the statement noted.
In addition to domestic legal concerns, AATSU cited India’s obligations under international frameworks such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), 2007. According to the union, the ongoing actions contravene the declaration’s protections against forced eviction and its emphasis on self-determination and preservation of cultural identity.
The union also criticised the Assam Skill University (ASU) project in Mangaldai, which it said had used the tribal cause to secure international funding but failed to uphold its commitments to tribal inclusion. Referring to advertisement reference ASDM/ASUP/122/2023, AATSU alleged that the recent recruitment of Assistant Professors violated the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, as the university ignored post-based reservations and did not prioritise candidates from SC/ST or indigenous backgrounds.
“This is a classic case of tokenism,” said Brahma. “They used the tribal narrative to access development loans, but have excluded us from the very opportunities those funds were meant to create.”
Describing the trend as “a new form of colonisation,” AATSU claimed that these developments reflect a systematic attempt to appropriate tribal lands and marginalise indigenous voices, using the rhetoric of progress to justify what it called a betrayal of constitutional and moral responsibilities.
“This is not just about one township or project,” the union said. “It’s about a sustained attack on the identity and rights of Assam’s indigenous communities. What is being presented as development is actually an organised attempt to silence and displace tribal people.”
AATSU demanded the immediate suspension of all eviction drives in Bashbari and Barduar, the cancellation of land allotments for the Adani Group and other corporations in tribal areas, and a judicial inquiry into all land transfers from notified Tribal Belts and Blocks. It also called for strict implementation of Sixth Schedule protections, the ALRR 1886, and constitutional auditing of state institutions like Assam Skill University.
The union urged the broader civil society—including student unions, indigenous organisations, and human rights defenders—to join a united resistance against what it called anti-tribal and anti-constitutional actions. “We will not remain silent as our lands, rights, and futures are bartered away,” the statement concluded.
