Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said the demand by the Karbi people to evict alleged Hindi-speaking encroachers from grazing lands cannot be accepted immediately, because of a stay by the Gauhati High Court.
Speaking on the sidelines of an official function in Naharkatia, the chief minister said, “A section of the Karbi people made demands to evict people living in VGR and PGR. There is a stay order by the Gauhati High Court in this regard. No one can ignore the court. If I try to do something, it will be contempt of court.”
The Karbi and Bihari communities have been at loggerheads in the district over allegations of encroachment on Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) and Professional Grazing Reserve (PGR) lands in the tribal belts by the Hindi-speaking people.
The Army was requisitioned during the day and it conducted flag march in violence-hit areas of West Karbi Anglong district.
Two persons were killed, and at least 70 others, including over 60 police personnel, injured in violence during the last two days in West Karbi Anglong’s Kheroni area.
In fact, all the evictions the Assam government has carried out so far in different forests were done only after fighting cases in the high court and the Supreme Court, and the administration proceeded only after the courts said yes to its move, he added. Sarma also pointed out that the rights of the people settled in PGR and VGR lands will also have to be discussed in the court.
Sarma said that people often urge him to evict encroachers immediately, but he always explains that no government can act in violation of the law or the courts.
“Even if we announce an eviction, the police cannot carry it out without risking contempt of court. I don’t understand why this is not clear to everyone. We will certainly hold face-to-face discussions, and if there are any misunderstandings, we will address them,” he added.
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He further noted, “Generally, when there is a court order, people do not take matters into their own hands. We will have to review the incidents of the past two days.”
He, however, emphasized that the government’s first priority is to restore normalcy and ensure peace, after which the matter will be examined.
