Kokrajhar MP Naba Kumar Sarania on Friday said non-Bodo indigenous residents living in the designated “tribal belts and blocks” in Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) are very tense after the recent Gauhati High Court’s interim order to evict encroachers.

“The BTC and the state government should not consider the court’s interim order as a political weapon. The settlers are all indigenous people of Assam. None of them should be evicted. However, the BTC administration is plotting to evict the people right after getting the interim order,” Sarania said.

The high court on December 9 issued the interim order to the principal secretary of the Assam government and respective deputy commissioners of the districts that have designated tribal belts and blocks to submit an affidavit, highlighting a proper mechanism to evict the encroachers.

Sarania said, “People are apprehensive that they will be evicted soon. I appeal to the non-tribal natives of the BTC settling in the tribal belt and block areas not to be afraid of the interim order. A sizable number of the indigenous people settling in BTC are yet to get land pattas (documents). Land dispute is a long-standing problem in the BTC. Therefore, I appeal to both the BTC and state government to provide land pattas rather than complicating the issue.”

Sarania added that the designated tribal belt and blocks exist only on paper today.

“None of the settlers are foreign nationals. They are all indigenous people settling there since decades. Any move of the government to evict them these people will lead to an upsurge,” Sarania said.

Sarania said thousands of genuine residents who have been settling in the belt and blocks under the BTAD much before 1947 are yet to access land pattas.

“We strongly appeal to both the state government and the BTC to showcase political will to settle the land dispute,” Sarania said.

Sarania, however, said, “Not only in the tribal belt, we cannot support any illegal settlement across the state.

If my party comes to power in the BTAD, we will provide land deeds to all the genuine settlers of BTC, irrespective of caste and community.”

Sarania said following the interim order, if the BTC will attempt to evict the genuine settlers, the Oboro (non-Bodo) Suraksha Samiti will move the high court to get justice.

Sarania added that considering the political turmoil in the state, no one should break the integrity of the cultural fabric in the name of Bodos and non-Bodos.

“At this crucial juncture, we do not need debate and to add conflict between the Bodos and non-Bodos. We must resolve issues with a political understanding,” Sarania said.