Mining mafia has field day in Assam forests; officials subdued, whistleblowers silenced

The above statement by an Assam government official in a letter written to the chairman of the Central Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court is not just an isolated allegation. It is reflective of a larger trend, prevailing in the state, of muzzling voices of dissent, be it from senior officials, media personnel, or opposition leaders.

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Illegal mining in reserved forests

The anonymous official raised the issue of illegal mining near Kaziranga National Park (KNP) in December last year.

Such alleged illegality is not restricted to the KNP alone; many officials and activists told The Federal.

Illegal stone mining (also known as quarrying) activities are continuing in at least seven other reserved forests or proposed reserved forests across the state with the backing of “very powerful people,” whom even senior forest officials prefer not to annoy, fearing reprisal, they alleged.

These forests are Tokrabandha Proposed Reserved Forest in Dhubri division, Chitalmari Reserved Forest in Goalpara division, Doboka Reserved Forest, Tetelia Baghara Reserved Forest, Sonaikuchi Reserved Forest, Kondoli Proposed Reserved Forest and Dhulpahar Proposed Reserved Forest in Nagaon division.

‘Officials incapacitated, transferred’

One recent instance of officials facing pushback was on May 25, sources in the forest department said.

An Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer was prevented from taking stringent action after illegal stone mining within the reserve forests in Nagaon and Hojai was detected based on satellite images.

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The official, during a field visit on May 25, ordered the seizure of excavators and dumpers operating unlawfully in the area and was preparing to initiate legal action against the culprits. However, the official ultimately had to back out allegedly due to “pressure from Dispur,” sources said. The state Secretariat is located at Dispur in Guwahati.

In another case, a Divisional Forest Officer (DCF) stationed in Tezpur was transferred after seizing earthmovers and dumpers allegedly owned by a ruling party MLA in May 2017.

The officer was allegedly shunted out of the division after facing the wrath of the MLA.

A senior district official of Sivasagar reportedly expressed his helplessness in taking action against a mafia group that destroyed a plantation on privately owned land in September 2022.

Strong political backing

The state’s corridor of power is abuzz with numerous such anecdotes.

More than 22 resource syndicates, including those dealing in coal, stone, and sand, are said to be operating freely, protected by political connections.

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“In most cases, the officers are either complicit or turn a blind eye to what is happening,” Assam-based activist Dilip Nath, who is fighting legal battles to prevent the destruction of forest cover, told The Federal over the phone.

In support of his claim, he cited the January 9 accident in an illegal coal mine in Dima Hasao district that killed at least 13 miners.

“Could such illegal mining take place without the complicity of those in the government?” he asked, pointing out that no action was taken against those who allowed the illegal mining operation.

He said a few officials who dare to challenge the system face backlash.

Whistleblowers silenced

“Not only the officials, but even media persons and opposition leaders are targeted for exposing the illegalities and corruption in the government,” said Assam Congress vice president Mehdi Alam Borah.

At least two journalists died in the state under mysterious circumstances in the recent past, allegedly for their works.

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Porag Bhuyan, a journalist with Pratidin Time, died after he was hit by a car driven by "unknown people" at Kakopathar in the Tinsukia district on November 11, 2020. Bhuyan was reporting extensively on the timber mafia operating in the Kakopathar area.

Porag’s brother, Jagdish Bhuyan, a former Assam minister, said his brother was getting threats for his investigations into cow, coal, and timber smuggling.

Police, however, said the death was an accident.

Another journalist, Abdur Rauf Alamgir, who was working with an online news portal, was reportedly killed after being abducted from near his house. His body was found floating in the Kulsi River at Boko in Kamrup district.

SC intervention

Even UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay had demanded a probe into the murder and to ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice.

Harassment of journalists for writing or commenting against the government has become almost a new normal in the state.

The arrest of journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder, while he went to report a cooperative bank scam, in March this year, was one of such cases.

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Conservationists like Nath are keeping their fingers crossed now that the anonymous whistleblower blew the lid off the nexus between mafias and those in power before the apex court of the country, which in turn took cognisance of the matter.

The Supreme Court’s Empowered Committee on May 30 asked the DGP and chief secretary of the state to ensure immediate stoppage of mining near the KNP.

“We welcome the development. Hopefully, it will act as a deterrent against illegal mining continuing elsewhere in the state,” Nath added.

(With inputs from Sandeep Sharma in Guwahati)