Congress Land Sale Row: Abhijit Paul Claims SBI Transaction Links Sajal Acharya To NOC Application

Abhijit Paul, former Cachar District Congress president and the Congress candidate from Silchar in the recent Assembly election, has defended his decision to report the alleged land transaction involving current district president Sajal Acharya to the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC). Paul claims that documents, including a payment of Rs 1,000 from Acharya’s State Bank of India (SBI) account towards the NOC application, support his allegations.

Speaking to Barak Bulletin, Paul said he obtained a copy of the application through his sources and submitted the documents to the party’s senior leadership in his capacity as a district Congress member. He denied leaking the documents to the media or circulating them on social media, stating that he had reported the matter to the APCC as part of his responsibility.

The controversy concerns an application seeking a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the proposed sale of a 10-katha plot of land on Park Road in Silchar. The application reportedly named the Silchar District Congress Committee as the seller, represented by Acharya, and Jay Kumar Saha as the proposed buyer. The APCC subsequently stripped Acharya of his powers and issued him a show-cause notice, asking him to explain the allegations.

Addressing Acharya’s allegation that his name had been falsely used, Paul said the application contained evidence that he believes establishes a connection between Acharya and the proposed transaction.

According to Paul, the Rs 1,000 fee for the NOC application was paid through Acharya’s own SBI account. He also claimed that the documents carried the relevant seal and signature on each page, rejecting the possibility that the material was artificially generated.

Paul challenged Acharya to seek an explanation from the officials involved in processing the application if he believed the documents were false. He suggested approaching the concerned patwari, the dealing assistant or the bank to establish how the payment was made.

Paul maintained that the authority over the property rests with the All India Congress Committee (AICC). Paul denied that his actions were motivated by political rivalry. He said he had submitted the documents to the APCC leadership and had not initially intended to discuss the matter with the media.

He also claimed that several Congress workers who had previously supported Acharya were now raising objections over the alleged transaction. Paul named Tamal Kanti Banik, Papon Deb, Atanu Bhattacharjee and Dhrubojyoti Purkayastha among those he said had expressed opposition to the matter.

Paul questioned why Acharya had accused him of making false allegations instead of pursuing a formal complaint if he believed the claims were fabricated.

He challenged Acharya to approach the APCC with a complaint against him or initiate defamation proceedings. Paul warned that he would pursue criminal proceedings against Acharya if the allegations against him continued, maintaining that he would not allow Congress property to be sold unlawfully.

Recounting events from 2022, Paul said that during the tenure of the district president before him, a proposal was discussed to demolish the shops on the right side of the Congress office entrance and construct a multi-storey market complex to generate income for the party. He said he had opposed the proposal.

Paul further alleged that he subsequently learnt that a promoter had started cutting land for structural development near the office premises. He said he immediately informed the then Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president, Bhupen Kumar Borah, who directed him to stop the work.

Acharya has categorically denied submitting the application or attempting to sell Congress property. He has said that the photograph attached to the application is old and questioned how it was obtained.

He also maintained that he did not know which specific plot the application referred to and had no authority to sell land belonging to the party.

Acharya said he would respond to the APCC’s show-cause notice and submit a complaint to the Cachar District Commissioner’s office over the alleged misuse of his name. He also said he planned to file an FIR to identify the person responsible for submitting the application.

He expressed confidence that the party leadership would consider his explanation.