Assam Government Introduces New Guidelines for Inter-Religion Land Transfers

New Standard Operating Procedure for Land Transfers

Guwahati, Aug 27: The Assam Cabinet has sanctioned a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) aimed at overseeing inter-religion land transactions, as announced by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during a press conference following a Cabinet meeting.

During the briefing, the Chief Minister elaborated that while land exchanges between individuals of the same faith will proceed without any limitations, those involving different religions will be subjected to a stringent verification process.

"Initially, proposals must be submitted to the Deputy Commissioner (DC), who will then pass them on to the Revenue Department for examination by a designated officer," Sarma stated.

The documentation will subsequently be sent to the Police Special Branch, which will conduct an in-depth investigation to ascertain if the transfer is fraudulent, coerced, or illegal, evaluate the funding sources, and consider the social and security ramifications of the transaction.

“The Special Branch will also assess whether such a transfer could negatively impact the local community or raise national security issues. Their findings will be returned to the DC, who will make the final decision on whether to approve or reject the transaction,” Sarma added.

The Chief Minister also pointed out that this SOP will extend to NGOs from outside Assam that wish to acquire land within the state.

“We have recently noticed NGOs from Kerala, associated with a specific religion, trying to purchase land in regions like Barak Valley and Karimganj. In Barpeta, significant areas of land have already been acquired. While they assert their intention to establish educational institutions, the underlying motives may differ, and the police will investigate these matters,” he remarked.

However, Sarma clarified that this new SOP will not be applicable to NGOs registered in Assam.