Assam Land Rights Activist Aditya Chandra Rabha Arrested, Committee Alleges Political Motivation

The Bhumi Adhikar Joutha Sangram Samiti (Joint Action Committee for Land Rights) has strongly condemned the arrest of land rights activist Aditya Chandra Rabha , alleging that the case against him is politically motivated and part of a broader attempt to suppress Assam’s land rights movement. In a press release issued on Friday, the committee claimed that Rabha, who serves as an adviser to the Barduar Bagan Bhumi Pattan Dabi Samiti and spokesperson of the Nikhil Rabha Jatiya Parishad, was arrested on “baseless” charges to weaken the democratic movement for land rights and discredit its leadership. The statement, jointly signed by convenors Gobinda Rabha, Krishna Gogoi, Bidisha Barman, and Subrata Talukdar, alleged that the state government is attempting to create divisions among indigenous communities by targeting grassroots leaders. “The tribal and indigenous people of Assam have been demanding their rightful land and have launched democratic protests across different parts of the state. Threatened by this movement, the government has jailed a grassroots leader like Aditya Chandra Rabha on false pretexts,” the committee said. The organisation condemned what it described as “oppressive actions” by the state administration and demanded Rabha’s immediate release. It also urged the Assam government to halt what it termed as the suppression and harassment of democratic movements advocating public rights. According to the committee, Rabha was arrested on Thursday evening in connection with a case alleging financial irregularities in a cooperative small savings bank. The committee further alleged that the two individuals who lodged the complaint have no association with the cooperative institution. It claimed that the police registered the case because the complainants were “local BJP supporters,” describing the case as “vindictive,” “politically motivated,” and part of a larger conspiracy against the land rights movement.