On 20 January 2025, residents of the two villages moved the Gauhati High Court against the allotment of more than 400 hectares of land in a Sixth Schedule area (autonomous area) of a biodiversity-rich Dima Hasao district to a private cement company for the construction of a factory. In 2020, 92 percent of the district was natural forest, under which lie several minerals. One of those is limestone, a crucial raw material for making cement.
In February 2025, Mahabal Cement Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of the JK Lakshmi Cement Company, signed a memorandum of understanding worth Rs 11,000 crore with the Assam Government at Advantage Assam 2, an investment and business summit. Following which, the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council (DHAC) approved two land allotments: 2,000 bighas on 14 October 2024, and 1,000 bighas on 12 November 2024.
In their petition, 22 residents of Nobdi Longkukro and Choto Larpheng villages alleged that the office of the Additional Secretary, North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council’s (NCHAC), and the Council’s Revenue Department functionaries exerted pressure on the villagers, in the months preceding the allotments, to accept the compensation and move out. The residents, belonging to the Dimasa and Karbi communities, further claimed that no community consent was sought before the land allocation and raised concerns over adverse impact of a cement factory on the ecological hotspot area with hot springs and wildlife. They contended that the land is collectively owned and managed via the Gaon Bura (village head), with no prior notification of the exact extent or purpose.
The residents were reportedly summoned by DHAC and informed that their land would be taken in exchange for compensation. They claim that no public hearing was conducted. Under the structure, Rs 2 lakh was being offered to individual families and Rs 15 lakh to village heads.
Justice Sanjay Kumar Medhi, during a hearing on 12 August 2025, remarked, “3,000 bighas! What is going on? 3,000 bighas allotted to a private company? What kind of decision is this?” He directed DHAC to produce policy records and emphasised that the priority has to be given to the rights and interests of the tribal people residing there since it is a Sixth Schedule area.
The state government defended the move in September 2025 hearings, stating, “Due process of law was followed,” and argued against driving away investments. The court, however, sought complete file which contained the decision to allot the "huge chunk" of the land in a Sixth Schedule area to the private firm.
The situation escalated dramatically on 30 October 2024 when officials arrived with bulldozers to begin seizing the land. As villagers opposed the work citing the pending court case, an executive member of NCHAC, Monjit Naiding, allegedly snatched a gun from his security officer and fired at protestors resisting the land transfer. According to a police complaint filed on 31 October by three local youths named Sonesh Hojai, Somorjit Nunisa, and Subjoyon Jidung, the officials further threatened the villagers to give up the land.
Daniel Langthasa, representing the Sixth Schedule Protection Committee told LCW, “In December 2024, our organisation filed a PIL, but the court instructed us that the affected villagers should file the petition themselves. As of now, the case is still ongoing in the Gauhati High Court. Only after the case went to the court, the council was bound to provide some details like land area, maps etc. Out of the two villages — one Karbi village and another a Dimasa village — will to be mostly affected. After protests and rejection from the Karbi villagers, the council managed to convince the Gaon burha (Village headmen) of the Dimasa village, but it’ll be difficult to determine how much land or families will be affected altogether. Most of these land are farmlands and all the forest dependent communities will be largely impacted.”
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
1. Cancellation of land allotment and protection of tribal rights 2. To conduct proper environmental impact assessment and community consultation.
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Common and Private
Forest and Non-Forest
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Yes
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Other Natural Resource extraction/dependence, Other environmental services, Religious/Sacred/Cultural value, Agricultural land
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Data Unavailable
Source/Reference
paused; no construction started
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
11000
Type of investment:
Investment Expected
Year of Estimation
2025
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Constitutional Law, Forest and Scheduled Area Governance Laws, Forest and Scheduled Area Governance Laws, Land Acquisition Laws, Environmental Law, Forest and Scheduled Area Governance Laws
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
Yes
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Forced evictions/dispossession of land
Lack of legal protection over land rights
Non-implementation/violation of FRA
Non-implementation/violation of LARR Act
Non-rehabilitation of displaced people
Non-consultation with stakeholders
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Pending
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Gauhati High Court
Case Number
WP(C)/337/2025 (by Mahabal Cement); WP(C)/467/2025 (by villagers)
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Blackmail/threats/intimidation
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
On 30 October 2024 when officials arrived with bulldozers to begin seizing the land, villagers opposed the work citing the pending court case. However, an executive member of NCHAC, Monjit Naiding, allegedly snatched a gun from his security officer and fired at protestors resisting the land transfer. According to a police complaint filed on 31 October by three local youths—Sonesh Hojai, Somorjit Nunisa, and Subjoyon Jidung—the officials further threatened the villagers to give up the land.
Date of Violation
October 29, 2024
Location of Violation
Nobdi Longku Kro, Dima Hasao
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Government of Assam, Dima Hasao Autonomous Council (DHAC), Land and Revenue Department
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Assam Mineral Development Corporation (adjacent mining)
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Mahabal Cement Private Limited (Kolkata-based, linked to JK Group)
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Dimasa, Karbi, Naga tribes and other local residents of affected villages
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
