A day ahead of the high-profile visit of AICC Vice-President Rahul Gandhi to Assam, a man set himself on fire and died on the streets of Guwahati, demanding land pattas for him and many thousands like him.
The incident took place around 10 am on Monday just in front of the high security State Capital complex at Dispur in the city. The person identified as Pranab Boro, who had received over 90 per cent burn injuries, died at the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital in the evening. Ironically, the incident took place at a time when Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi was distributing land pattas (permanent settlement deeds) to people from the city who had been living on Government land for the last ten years and above.
The incident took place as Assam’s farmers’ body Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) led by RTI activist Akhil Gogoi had been threatening the Government to launch a massive protest including self-immolation demanding the Government to allot land patta to the people living on Government lands in the State for a long time.
The Assam Government had recently agreed to give land pattas to people living on Government lands till December 2001. However, the Government had clarified that they cannot give pattas to those who had been settled in forest lands and water bodies. The KMSS, on the other hand, had been demanding to give land pattas to people who had settled till 2005 and even to those, who had been living on forest lands and wetlands.
KMSS secretary Kamal Medhi said that the organisation had been demanding implementation of Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. While the Act had already been implemented everywhere in the State, the Assam Chief Minister had violated the provisions of the Act by saying that land pattas would not be given to those who settled in forest lands and wetlands.
He blamed the State Government for the Monday’s incident and said that it is for the Assam Government’s refusal to implement the Act that led to self-immolation by Boro, who represents an indigenous community of Assam.
Meanwhile, the Assam Chief Minister had termed the incident as unfortunate and said that the Government would help Boro’s family. “This is unfortunate and I don’t see any justification for the self-immolation by a person. We have already started the process of giving land pattas to people who have been living on Government lands but how can we give land pattas to those who had encroached on forest lands and water bodiesIJ” Gogoi said.
The Chief Minister also hit out at KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi for creating an unwarranted situation by resorting to agitation on the day of distribution of land pattas. “It was clearly spelt out to KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi in course of a meeting. It was agreed upon to start the process of issuing land patta. And now he (Akhil Gogoi) has taken a U-turn and creating an uncalled for situation,” he said.
“There is a Government of India policy and I cannot violate this,” Gogoi said reiterating his stand that the Government would not allow encroachment on forest and wetlands at any cost as destruction of forests have had led to flash floods resulting in heavy erosion across the State, rendering many homeless and affecting lakhs and lakhs acres of agricultural land due to siltation.