The Bodoland Janajati Suraksha Manch (BJSM) and the All Assam Tribal Students’ Union (AATSU) on Monday urged the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) and the Assam government to take strict action over alleged Maoist links to forest encroachment in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), submitting a memorandum to Suman Mohapatra, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Council Head of Department (CHD), Forest Department, BTC, in Kokrajhar.
The memorandum was handed over by a delegation led by BJSM president Daoraodekhreb Narzary, who said the groups were alarmed by what they described as growing Maoist influence in the region. Narzary alleged that some individuals involved in forest land encroachment were operating under Maoist ideology and posed a threat to peace and stability.
He further claimed that certain encroachers were attempting to foment unrest in parts of the BTR, citing recent incidents in Runikhata and areas of Kokrajhar. The organisations asked BTC authorities and security agencies to carry out a thorough investigation and identify those responsible.
The groups also demanded firm measures to protect forest land and to safeguard the rights of indigenous communities affected by the encroachments.
Speaking to reporters, Mohapatra acknowledged the seriousness of the matter and confirmed that large-scale encroachment had been reported in forest areas, particularly in the newly declared Sikhna Jwhwlao National Park. He said that “hundreds of bighas” of forest land had allegedly been encroached upon; a bigha is a traditional local unit of land area.
Mohapatra added that an investigation into the encroachments was under way and that an eviction drive would be launched soon. The allegations, if substantiated, raise concerns for forest conservation, local livelihoods and law-and-order in the BTR.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/assam/video/assam-tribal-bodies-demand-action-over-alleged-maoist-linked-forest-encroachment-in-btr-1382383-2026-04-27?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2026-04-27 20:01:00
