Evicted Locals of Rongpur Denied From Meeting Minister Atul Bora, Road Blocked Ensued

Yesterday afternoon, an eviction drive carried out by the Cachar District Administration in Rongpur Part 1 and 2 has left hundreds of families in distress and sparked widespread anger. The eviction, reportedly executed to make way for the construction of a road under the Bharat Mala project, was met with resistance as locals claimed their homes and businesses were demolished without prior notice or compensation.

The affected residents, who had been living on government land for years, accused the authorities of violating a Supreme Court directive and ignoring their demands for compensation for their cultivated land, known as ‘Zirat.’ The administration, however, maintained that the land was required for the construction of a new four-lane road connecting Silchar to Manipur under the Bharat Mala project.

“We will shed blood if necessary, but we will not leave our homes without compensation,” several enraged residents declared, alleging they had been promised compensation over a year ago but had received none.

The situation escalated further this afternoon when hundreds of evicted men and women staged a protest at the “Zero Point” of the East-West Corridor near Madhura Bridge. Blocking the national highway, they attempted to hand over a memorandum to Agriculture Minister Atul Bora, whose convoy passed through the area. However, the locals blamed the ADC present there for playing with their emotions and not letting them meet the minister or as they say “Representative of the Public”. The convoy passed by the area like any other “Roja Moharoja” of Assam.

Angry protesters blocked the Silchar-Manipur National Highway for nearly an hour, demanding immediate compensation and vowing to intensify their protests if their demands are not met. “What did we get voting for the BJP?” lamented one woman, frustrated that her attempts to meet the minister were ignored. “We were signalling like fools for them to stop, but they sped past us like anything.”

The tension in the Rongpur area remains high as evicted families face homelessness, with many questioning the legality of the eviction and calling on the government to address their grievances urgently.