On Monday, the district administration in West Karbi Anglong evicted 10 families from their homes. The eviction operation began early Monday morning following a notice issued to the affected families in accordance with the directives from the Guwahati High Court. It is noteworthy that approximately 10 families had allegedly occupied around 22 bighas of land in the Kheroni area illegally for a long time. The landowner, Sarthe Phangso, had filed a case in the Guwahati High Court regarding the matter.
Based on the aforementioned ruling, the court issued a directive to free the land occupied by the rightful owner, Sarthe Phangcho, after a long judicial process. Following this directive, the district administration carried out an eviction operation on Monday. Notably, for this eviction, the district administration, along with officials from the Dongkamokam revenue circle, brought a large contingent of police and CRPF personnel to assist. During the eviction operation, the displaced families engaged in a fierce confrontation with the police administration. The families created a tense situation by obstructing the eviction process.
In light of the worsening situation, the police administration is forcibly detaining displaced individuals at police stations to prevent any unpleasant incidents. However, after the eviction operation concludes, the authorities release these individuals. According to the displaced families, despite having lived on the land for the past 70 years, they were evicted by the office of the Circle Officer in Dongkamokam under the pretext of land being designated for a certain use, affecting ten families. The families have stated that due to the Autonomous council of Karbi Anglong not addressing this issue, they have become homeless and are pleading with the government for assistance in their resettlement.
Prosonto Engti, President of the Karbi Students’ Association (KSA) Hamren Regional Branch, publicly expressed gratitude to the KAAC authorities following the successful operation. Engti’s statement reflects a growing sentiment among the community that supports the council’s efforts to tackle the pressing issue of illegal land occupancy that has plagued the region for years.
