STATEMENT ON EVICTION
July 10, 2002

There is no end to the clandestine scheme of the colonialist government of India to wipe out the indigenous peoples. The recent eviction drive carried out by the puppet government in Dispur all over areas inhabited by indigenous people, including Guwahati, is another example of the oppressive colonialist government design to turn the sons of the soil virtually to landless nomads.

The eviction drive has affected the Boro people more than any other indigenous people of the land. Marginalized by the land policies of the colonialist government the Boro people have moved towards the forestlands for their survival. The government, instead of arranging settlement of the landless indigenous people is now seeking a short cut solution to preserve the forests and government lands through eviction. It has become obvious that that the colonial government concerns on protection of forest is a superficial. It is just a systematic design to uproot the indigenous people of the land.

The British India Government passed the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act 1886 where in under the Chapter X, provisions were laid restricting the transfer of lands to the outsiders or non-tribal by creating Tribal Belts & Blocks. Unfortunately, after Indian independence from the British rule, the foreigners as well as people from mainland India swarmed the Tribal Belts & Blocks under the patronage of the successive Indian governments and political leaders. Resultantly the indigenous peoples, majority of which consists of Boro people, who live close to nature had to look towards hitherto unexploited forestlands. The Boro people were driven out from their land of ancestors. The outsiders and foreign nationals, various governments departments including armed forces contradictorily occupied the land of the indigenous peoples. If the present government’s plan of eviction is to go on, the Boro people will have to look forward for more unexploited forestland for survival. Areas in and around Guwahati, which once belonged to the Boro, have been occupied by the governments departments, politicians in power and outsiders by unfair means or foul. Now the puppet government in Dispur is only patronizing the settlement of unscrupulous business community from outside as well as the foreigners. The Boro people have been driven out from their own land by the colonialist government. The lives of the Boro people and other indigenous people have been always insignificant compared to trees and forest in the eyes of the government.

Keeping in view the grave question of ecological balance, we, the National Democratic Front of Boroland, from the very beginning, have been advocating preservation of forests and natural resources. But the colonialist government and politically motivated quarters have deliberately counteracted our genuine efforts. The colonialist government has sponsored a section of the media to publish rumors in order to defame the NDFB that it is involved in the illegal timber trade. Whereas the fact is that every Indian army official posted in any corner of Boroland is found to be smuggling out timbers to their native place, every police officer is building houses un-proportionate to his official income.

If the government is so concerned about the preservation of forests, let it first clear the areas within the Tribal Belts & Blocks illegally occupied by the non-bonafides in order for relocation of indigenous peoples now living in forest lands.

The National Democratic Front of Boroland strongly condemns and ask to stop the current eviction plan of the colonialist government. The NDFB appeals all the indigenous people to resist the sinister design of the colonialist government of New Delhi.

B. Erakdao,
Information & Publicity Sectretary, NDFB