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.
