Was anti-encroachment drive trigger for clashes?

A proposed nursery for social forestry might have sown the seeds of the Kokrajhar violence that has left 80 people dead since July 20.

A proposed nursery for social forestry might have sown the seeds of the Kokrajhar violence that has left 80 people dead since July 20.

Multi-faith Bodo tribals and Bengali Muslim migrants have been pointing fingers at each other for the riots. Many forest officials, however, fear a legal eviction drive against encroachers on forestland may have been twisted out of proportion to trigger the riots.

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A signboard displaying ‘land reserved for Idgah (prayer ground)’ was among some temporary structures removed from a 25-hectare forestland adjoining the Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary.

The forest department, under control of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), had earmarked the land — 8km southeast of Kokrajhar town — under Parbajhora forest division for a nursery under a re-greening mission.

“We don’t know who installed the signboard, but a few days before the eviction drive on May 29, non-tribal settlers had come in droves to prevent our employees from working on the plantation project,” a Chakrashila sanctuary forest guard said.

Days later, two persons including a BTC employee were beaten up during a Kokrajhar strike called by All Bodoland Minority Students’ Union to protest the anti-encroachment drive against the Idgah.

BTC chief conservator of forest GC Basumatary said, “If the eviction drive was a factor in the violence is not for us to say. We went by the rules to remove encroachers and signs of attempted encroachment.”