Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council meets agitators in Diphu to discuss eviction from grazing reserves; CEM cites legal hurdles due to missing original documents.
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DIPHU — A meeting between the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) and agitators demanding the eviction of encroachers from Professional Grazing Reserves (PGR) and Village Grazing Reserves (VGR) was held at the Arboretum-cum-Craft Centre in Matipung, Diphu, on Monday.
The session was chaired by Dr. Tuliram Ronghang, chief executive member (CEM). It lasted two and a half hours but concluded with several legal and administrative hurdles still in place.
Following the meeting, Ronghang clarified that while the Council agrees in principle that encroachers must be evicted, a Gauhati High Court stay order has temporarily halted the process.
The High Court Division Bench suspended the eviction order issued by the KAAC principal secretary, demanding “original documents” as proof.
Ronghang revealed that the Council dispatched representatives to Shillong and London for 15 days to locate the original Gazette notifications. No original documents were found.
“It is a crime to present photocopied documents in court,” the CEM stated, noting that because the matter is sub judice, immediate eviction is legally impossible.
Despite the court delay, the CEM announced several immediate steps regarding government land and trade. A formal notification regarding the rest of the encroached government land will be issued on December 30.
Schools, Anganwadi centres, and other offices currently situated on reserve land will be shifted once suitable land is identified, with a target of 15 days. The Council intends to cancel trade licences for businesses operating within PGR/VGR areas.
Litsong Rongphar, leading the demand for eviction, expressed a commitment to continue the legal and social fight. He noted that while certain Karbi villages (such as Dikreng) would be protected under Forest Rights, the pressure on other encroached areas remains.
"We will fight to prove that the land is PGR/VGR. Notice will be issued to encroachers in Uttar Borbil PGR tomorrow," Rongphar stated, adding that talks regarding land and trade licences remain inconclusive.
The meeting was attended by political and traditional leadership, including Amarsing Tisso, MP; MLAs Darsing Ronghang, Rupsing Teron, and Bidyasing Engleng; Longsing Ronghang, Karbi traditional king; Jotson Bey, former CEM; and representatives from the KSA, KFA, KNCA, and JCCPA.
The focus now shifts to January 17, when the agitators are scheduled to meet with the Government of Assam, followed by a subsequent meeting with the Council on January 20.