The Assam government approved a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for inter-religious land transfer in the state. This step comes as part of efforts to monitor land transactions and protect indigenous communities.

Briefing about the decision, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "All such transfers will come to the government." He added, "In a sensitive state like Assam, land transfer needs to be carefully handed over. All such transfers will come to the government, and we will scrutinise all the transfers. We will look at the source of funds of the person who is buying, whether that land sale will affect the social fabric of that locality, and whether any national security threat is involved in certain cases; accordingly, the District Commissioner will take the final decision."

Mr Sarma explained the process further, saying, "The designated Nodal Officer within that Department would then transmit it to the Special Branch of the Assam Police. The Special Branch of the Assam Police will examine the proposal to identify any elements of fraud, coercion, or illegality, verify the source of funds used for the purchase, assess potential implications for social cohesion, and safeguard national security. Thereafter, the proposal would be returned to the government, with the District Commissioner taking the final decision."

This decision is seen as a bold step by the Assam government to check the transfer of land from indigenous communities to illegal settlers.

The Chief Minister also addressed land requests from NGOs, stating, "NGOs outside Assam sought land to establish institutions; we will examine similar land sale prospects for national security purposes. There is no such procedure for local NGOs."

Under the SOP, every inter-religious land sale proposal must first be submitted to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the district. The DC will review it and forward it to the Revenue Department for scrutiny by a designated nodal officer. After this, the proposals go to the Police Special Branch, which will conduct a detailed investigation.

The Special Branch will check whether the transfer was fraudulent, coerced, or illegal, verify the source of funds, and assess the social and security implications of the transaction. They will also consider whether the transfer affects the local social fabric or poses a national security concern.

Finally, the Special Branch report is sent back to the Deputy Commissioner, who will take the final decision on whether to approve or reject the land transfer.

This SOP introduces a rigorous verification process to ensure that inter-religious land transfers in Assam are transparent, secure, and do not compromise the interests of indigenous communities.

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