Guwahati, January 10, 2026 — Indigenous tribal communities in Assam’s hill districts of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao are intensifying their opposition to what they describe as widespread and unlawful transfers of tribal land to corporate entities. A major escalation occurred on January 10, when a broad coalition of political parties, student bodies, and civil society organizations submitted a strongly worded memorandum to Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, urging him to invoke special constitutional powers under the Sixth Schedule to immediately halt these allotments.
The Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution grants autonomy to designated tribal areas through autonomous district councils — such as the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) and the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) in Dima Hasao — and includes robust protections against the alienation of tribal land to non-tribals, including private corporations.
According to the memorandum, over the past two years, the KAAC — often in collaboration with state agencies — has allotted or agreed to allot tens of thousands of bighas of land for industrial, mining, extractive, and energy projects. Critics allege these transfers have bypassed mandatory procedures, including Social Impact Assessments, Gram Sabha (village assembly) consent, and compliance with key laws such as the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, and the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.
The concerns extend to neighboring Dima Hasao, where similar patterns of land alienation and ecological disruption have been reported, including large-scale allotments for cement factories and limestone mining operations.
Massive Protest Rally in Diphu
The memorandum follows a significant show of strength just two days earlier. On January 8, more than a thousand people participated in a massive rally in Diphu, the headquarters of Karbi Anglong district. Marching from Karbi Club through the main market to the Deputy Commissioner’s office, protesters voiced outrage over the perceived systematic erosion of indigenous land rights.
The demonstration was organized by over 30 groups, including the Karbi Students’ Association (KSA), All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC), Indian National Congress units, ASDC, CPI(ML)-Liberation, Karbi Anglong Democratic Women Association (KADWA), Indigenous People’s Party, and various youth, farmers’, and women’s organizations. Participants submitted the memorandum at the DC’s office, addressed directly to the Governor.
Leaders at the rally warned that the agitation would escalate if authorities failed to respond, emphasizing that genuine development must not come at the expense of dispossessing tribal communities.
Broader Implications and Demands
The signatories have expressed deep fears of an impending environmental and social catastrophe. Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao lie within the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot, home to rich forest ecosystems, endangered wildlife, and sacred tribal cultural sites. They argue that unchecked corporate projects threaten irreversible damage to these fragile areas.
Additionally, the memorandum raises suspicions that some land deals may be connected to undisclosed political financing in the run-up to the 2026 Assam Assembly elections, potentially violating laws related to corruption, election funding, and criminal conspiracy.
Key demands include:
- An immediate moratorium on all corporate land allotments in Sixth Schedule areas.
- Cancellation of allegedly illegal transfers and restoration of land to affected tribal communities.
- An independent inquiry into allotments made over the past three years.
- Promulgation of regulations requiring Gram Sabha consent for any future transfers.
- Referral of suspected corruption cases to appropriate investigative agencies.
This latest wave of protests builds on earlier tensions that have simmered since at least 2025, including public demonstrations against specific projects and judicial observations highlighting the “extraordinary” scale of certain allotments in protected tribal zones.
As the Governor — positioned under the Sixth Schedule as a constitutional guardian of tribal autonomy — reviews the memorandum, the situation underscores ongoing debates over balancing development, corporate investment, and the safeguarding of indigenous rights in Assam’s autonomous hill districts. Indigenous groups have vowed to continue their efforts until concrete protective measures are implemented.
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