Koch-Rajbongshi groups protest proposed eviction for APDCL project in Kokrajhar

KOKRAJHAR, July 7, 2026 — Hundreds of members of Koch-Rajbongshi organisations and student bodies staged a massive protest at Basalguri near Malgaon on Tuesday against the Assam Government and the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Government over the proposed allotment of land to the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL), alleging that indigenous Koch-Rajbongshi families face eviction from Greater Shilgara and Malgaon under the Kokrajhar Revenue Circle.

The demonstration was jointly organised by the Kokrajhar District (East) Committee and the Dhubri District (East) Committee of the All Koch Rajbongshi Students' Union (AKRASU).

Defying the scorching heat, hundreds of men, women, elderly people and children from Greater Malgaon participated in the protest, carrying placards and raising slogans including "Our homestead, our land", "We will shed blood but will not give up our land", "Assam Government beware", "BTC Government beware" and "Stop evicting indigenous people."

Several women protesters strongly criticised the NDA government led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, declaring that they would never surrender their land under any circumstances. They said they were prepared to sacrifice their lives but would not give up even an inch of their ancestral land.

The women also appealed to the Chief Minister, saying they were hardworking people who did not need welfare benefits such as the Orunodoi scheme or subsidised ration rice, pulses and salt, but urged the government not to evict them from the land where they have been living for years.

Many women broke down in tears during the protest, expressing fear of losing their homes. They said they had never imagined such a crisis would arise after voting for the NDA government.

Addressing the gathering, AKRASU Kokrajhar District (East) president Khanin Dev Barua condemned the Assam and BTC governments for what he described as a conspiracy to evict indigenous Koch-Rajbongshi families. He said it was unacceptable for a government that claimed to represent indigenous people to carry out eviction drives against them and demanded that the decision be withdrawn immediately.

Barua warned that if the move was not reversed, the Kokrajhar and Dhubri district units of AKRASU would jointly launch a larger agitation.

AKRASU Dhubri District (East) president Bitul Kumar Barman told reporters that the eviction of indigenous Koch-Rajbongshi families in the name of allotting land to the Adani Group for a solar power project through APDCL would not be tolerated under any circumstances. He alleged that the Assam and BTC governments were deliberately targeting Koch-Rajbongshi families and warned that they would never allow bulldozers to be used against indigenous residents.

Questioning the state government's approach, Barman asked, "Is this truly a government for indigenous people, or is it an anti-indigenous government?"

He further suggested that if land acquisition was necessary, the government should instead survey and utilise government-owned khas land located about 300 metres away. He said the organisation had no objection to that proposal but maintained that it would not allow the eviction of indigenous Koch-Rajbongshi families from their ancestral land.

According to the protesting organisations, the Assam Government, with the support of the BTC Government, allotted around 335 bighas of land in Greater Malgaon, Shilgara and Basalguri to APDCL in 2005. They said that following the recent initiation of a land survey in the acquired area, Koch-Rajbongshi organisations have intensified their protest against the proposed project.