Illegal revenue collection racket busted in Margherita; Adivasi, tea tribes victimised
Unauthorised and fake revenue collections were carried out by 2 who are currently absconding
Doomdooma, July 28: A land revenue fraud has come to light in Tirap mouza under the Margherita co-district of Tinsukia district, exposing the exploitation of vulnerable Adivasi and tea tribe communities through unauthorised and fake revenue collections.
According to reports, two individuals named Ganga Chetry and Hemanta Bhattarai, both residents of Ledo Bisa Gaon under the Margherita LAC, have been allegedly collecting land revenue illegally from unsuspecting villagers by issuing fake receipts and using counterfeit seals as the victims primarily belong to the socio-economically weaker sections of the Adivasi and tea tribe communities.
The scam involves collection of Rs 2,500 per bigha, despite the State government having halted offline land revenue collection since 2020 as part of its digital governance reforms. The fraudulent practice reportedly continued undetected for several years, leading to the misappropriation of lakhs of rupees from innocent landholders.
The matter was brought to light by the Margherita units of the All Adivasi Student Association, Assam (AASAA), and the Assam Tea Tribes Student Association (ATTSA). Following an internal investigation, both the organisations submitted a memorandum to the circle officer of Margherita revenue circle and Margherita co-district commissioner, calling for immediate legal action against the accused duo.
Speaking to the press, leaders of the Margherita units of AASAA and ATTSA expressed outrage over the scam, questioning as to how such a large-scale fraud could take place in a State that claims to uphold digital and smart governance practices.
“When the State government talks about transparency, how did such blatant forgery go unnoticed in Tirap mouza?” asked a representative from AASAA.
The accused persons are currently absconding, even as local law enforcement and district authorities are being pressed for swift action against the duo.
Both AASAA and ATTSA have warned of escalating their agitation if arrests are not made promptly. “We demand the immediate arrest of these fraudsters and if the Margherita co-district administration and Margherita police fail to act, we will be compelled to launch strong, intensified protests,” stated a joint statement issued by the Margherita units of AASAA and ATTSAA.