KOKRAJHAR,MAY 12 : A major controversy has erupted in Kokrajhar following a police raid at the residence of controversial businessman Sanjan Pal, a non-Assamese migrant at the Patharghat area in the heart of Kokrajhar.
A raid, conducted by Kokrajhar police based on an FIR filed by the Tribal Sangha on May 5, resulted in the recovery of iron grills and tin sheets reportedly stolen from the under-construction office of the Tribal Sangha and Brahma Dharma.
The recovered materials, which include boundary grills and roofing sheets, were identified as part of the construction work for the Tribal Sangha’s district office. The incident has sparked widespread concern among local residents, especially indigenous tribal communities, who see the act as a direct attack on their institutions and identity.
Kokrajhar district committee of Tribal Sangha has strongly condemned the accident and alleged that the businessman deliberately targeted their office premises, with deeper intentions tied to ongoing land disputes.
Pal’s name has previously surfaced in various land scam controversies in the region. His activities have drawn sharp criticism due to alleged illegal land acquisitions and encroachments. Questions have also been raised about his citizenship and long-standing disputes with indigenous groups, intensifying the current situation.
The incident has raised pressing questions about the protection of land and rights of indigenous tribal bodies in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR). The Tribal Sangha, known for its apolitical advocacy of the rights and welfare of land-owning tribal communities, has condemned the aggression and urged the administration to take strict legal action.
Notably,the government of Bodoland Territorial Region, allocated two bigha, two katha and 15 lechas of land to the Kokrajhar District Tribal Sangha on 13-11-2024 for the construction of a Tribal Rest House. Since then, controversial businessman Sanjan Pal of Kokrajhar has been creating various kinds of disturbances and harassment, which has led the Kokrajhar District Tribal Sangha to express strong dissatisfaction.
On Monday, the leaders of the Kokrajhar District Tribal Sangha informed that the union has already started the construction of the Tribal Rest House on the allocated land.
However, during this time, it has been alleged that Sanjan Pal, through dishonest and deceitful means, stole the grills from the walls, iron railings, door and window frames, and other items from a bungalow and three or four other houses built in Assamese style located at the site.
Yet, surprisingly, for some mysterious reason, land-mafia Sanjan Pal has not been arrested, which has astonished the Kokrajhar District Tribal Sangha
In this matter, the tribal sangha has demanded that the administration must take appropriate action against the incident.
