The Assam Assembly has passed a revised Bill that redefines the phrase ‘original inhabitants’ in the context of the state’s heritage land law. This move comes two years after the legislative amendments were first passed, restricting the sale and purchase of land around certain institutions. The 2024 law, however, did not come into force.
The revised Bill introduces amendments to the Assam Land Revenue and Regulation Act. The previous Bill, passed in 2024, restricted land transactions within a 5-kilometre radius of ‘iconic heritage structures’ over 250 years old to ‘original inhabitants’. These individuals were defined as people who had been living in the area, along with their families, for three generations prior to the date of commencement of the Act.
The revised definition of an original inhabitant now refers to a person who has been living in the area along with their family for the last three generations up to January 1, 2006. A generation is defined as ‘a period of 25 years of continuous living’. The institutions targeted by these restrictions include Barpeta Sattra, Batadrava Than, and the sattras of Majuli, which are significant centres of Assam’s neo-Vaishnavite traditions.
The amended Bill also proposes the eviction of ‘unauthorised occupants’ from the ‘protected heritage area’ by the District Commissioner. However, exemptions have been made for Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, ‘indigenous ethnic communities’ such as Moran, Motok, Chutia, Koch Rajbonshi, and Ahom, and ‘disadvantaged groups’ including people from the tea and Adivasi communities.
During the discussion on these amendments, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that they were ‘secular’. He stated that the restrictions apply to all, regardless of religion, and that only indigenous people will be allowed to stay in the protected areas. Sarma emphasized that the amendments are not discriminatory against religious minorities, but rather aimed at preserving the heritage of the state.
