Assam: CRPF reaches disputed solar plant site in Nagaon despite protests

Guwahati: As Assam’s 15^th Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma took oath on Monday afternoon, residents of Mikir Bamuni, a cluster of villages bordering Karbi Anglong, found armed military personnel roaming next to a disputed piece of land claimed by at least 36 farming families as theirs after 38 hectares (287 bigha) were sold to a solar power company.

Last year, just at the start of a lockdown in April due to spread of the deadly COVID-19 viral infections, a few residents cultivating a variety of paddy and vegetables were notified, leading to protests that led to a slew of litigation. While police officials confirmed the deployment of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in the area saying that Gauhati High Court had ordered them to do so, locals say their voices have yet again been ignored by the state government. 

Sikari Rongpi, a young Karbi farmer who was jailed in October 2020 with COVID-19 deaths peaking across the state for a scuffle in the village is now terrified.