Congress slams BJP-backed council: 6 villagers 'arrested' in Dima Hasao for opposing land grab by cement firm

The Congress has launched a scathing attack on the BJP-backed North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) after six villagers were allegedly arrested in Dima Hasao for challenging the allotment of tribal land to a private cement company. 

The arrests, made without warrant on Tuesday evening, September 2, came just hours before a crucial hearing in the Gauhati High Court, drawing allegations of political vendetta and suppression of democratic rights.

Congress leader Bapujit Langthasa accused the council’s Land and Revenue Department of “illegally and unethically” handing over 3,000 bighas of land in Nobdi Longkukro village of Umrangso to Mahabali Cement Company. 

He said 22 villagers had moved the Gauhati High Court against the allotment, but the ruling establishment was now resorting to intimidation to derail the case.

“Three of those arrested are petitioners. This is not just an attack on them; it is an attack on justice itself. The BJP-backed council wants to silence the voices of the poor and protect the interests of a private company,” Langthasa told reporters. 

He warned that police would be held directly responsible if any harm came to the detainees.

Langthasa further alleged that over the past week, senior council members and revenue officials had been pressuring villagers to withdraw the case. “This is a calculated conspiracy to stop the petitioners from appearing before the High Court. The arrests are nothing but a crude attempt to subvert the judicial process,” he said, adding that the matter has already been escalated to the Congress high command.

Also Read: Why a 3,000-bigha land transfer to a cement company sparked a Gauhati High Court judge’s ire

The land row, simmering since 2024, has exposed what the opposition calls the “dark nexus of money, muscle, and political power” in Assam’s hill district. 

Villagers claim they were duped into surrendering their ancestral land in exchange for meagre cheques, while the council pocketed crores. When protests erupted, allegations surfaced that a BJP-aligned executive member of the council even opened fire to intimidate demonstrators—charges denied by the accused.

The Gauhati High Court has already expressed shock at the allocation, questioning how nearly 3,000 bighas—virtually an entire district—could be handed to a private company in a Sixth Schedule area where tribal land rights are supposed to be protected.

Congress has framed the arrests as part of a broader pattern of authoritarianism under the BJP. 

“This government has no respect for law, no respect for people’s rights, and no respect for the Constitution. It will bulldoze tribal land for corporate interests and muzzle dissenters in the process. But we will not let this pass,” Langthasa declared.

For the embattled villagers of Dima Hasao, the arrests have turned a local land dispute into a political flashpoint. For Congress, it has become fresh ammunition in its battle against the BJP’s governance model in Assam’s tribal heartland.