Dimapur Airport eviction drive reclaims 17.9 acres of land; SIT formed to probe illegal land transactions by officials.
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SIT formed to probe government officials' involvement in illegal land transactions
DIMAPUR — An eviction drive to reclaim approximately 17.9 acres of land illegally encroached upon by 22 individuals on Dimapur Airport property began on Friday morning at Diphupar village.
During the eviction drive, a total of 24 structures were identified for dismantling—4 RCC buildings, 3 semi-pucca structures, and 17 thatch houses.
An excavator pulls down a multi-storey concrete structure during the eviction drive near Dimapur Airport on Friday. (EM Images)
During a press briefing in the aftermath of the eviction drive, Deputy Commissioner of Chümoukedima, Polan John, informed that the land encroacher’s documents were of Ekranipathar village, whereas they were actually occupying land at Dag No. 38 and 40, which comes under Diphupar village.
Consequently, the deputy commissioner of Dimapur had issued a notice on December 5, 2019, calling upon the 22 individuals/encroachers to show cause within 15 days as to why an eviction order should not be passed against them.
Thereafter, on expiry of the 15-day notice period, an eviction order was issued by DC Dimapur, whereby the 22 individuals were directed to vacate and deliver possession of the public land covered by Dag No. 38 and 40 at Diphupar after removing all buildings and structures thereon.
However, prior to the execution of the eviction order, Gauhati High Court issued an interim order prescribing status quo; therefore, the state government applied for modification or alteration of the interim order, which was vacated by a High Court judgement delivered on January 8, 2020.
Subsequently, DC Dimapur gave an extension of five days via order dated December 11, 2020. Yet again, before the eviction could be carried out, the Court of the Civil Judge, Dimapur, passed a temporary injunction which was upheld by the Principal District and Sessions Judge, Dimapur.
However, the Gauhati High Court, Principal Bench, in Civil Revision Petition (CRP) number 104/2024, by order dated May 27, 2025, quashed and set aside the temporary injunction granted to the encroachers, which enabled the district administration to execute the eviction orders dated December 21, 2019, and December 11, 2020.
John informed that the district administration of Dimapur, Chümoukedima, and police, along with all relevant departments, carried out the eviction drive in the presence of independent observers—tribal bodies and CSOs of both Dimapur and Chümoukedima—and independent witnesses, i.e., the village councils of neighbouring areas.
With regard to the alteration of land patta by Atoshe, Deputy Commissioner of Dimapur, Dr. Tinojongshi Chang, clarified that the current occupation lies within Dag No. 38 and 40, which clearly falls under Diphuphar village, a location that has already been purchased by the government and handed over to the Airport Authority of India (AAI).
The DC pointed out a critical lapse in the mutation process, as there was no trace map attached during the land mutation, which is a mandatory requirement.
Regarding the eviction drive, the deputy commissioner noted that there was no resistance from the evictees, and in fact, most of the structures had already been voluntarily dismantled by the occupants. A five-day grace period was also granted to the encroachers before the final eviction took place.
On the timeline of illegal land transactions, the DC informed that the mutations occurred during the period between 2012 and 2015.
Debris piles up as an excavator continues dismantling illegal structures at the airport expansion site in Dimapur. (EM Images)
When questioned about possible action against government officials who were aware of the illegal mutations, the deputy commissioner confirmed that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to thoroughly investigate the matter.
In response to whether the evictees’ right to appeal in the Supreme Court had been bypassed, the DC clarified that the High Court judgement was delivered on May 27, 2025, and as of June 13, sufficient time has been given for the affected parties to seek legal recourse.
Regarding the handover of land occupied by Assam Rifles and CRPF to the AAI for airport expansion, the DC informed that a survey was conducted last year, and instructions were given to shift the Assam Rifles camp to Shokhuvi. He added that they are working on it.