Assam villagers resist excavation for flood mitigation project

GUWAHATI

Police in eastern Assam’s Jorhat district have issued a notice to a Raijor Dal leader, a graduate of the Indian Institute of Management, for allegedly instigating villagers to resist excavations for a flood prevention project.

Farmers and members of the fishing community living around a network of wetlands, including Kenduguri Beel and Kawoimari Beel, are opposing a project to excavate around 1,700 bighas (561 acres). These wetlands, 5 km away from the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River, are located in the Teok district of the district.

The protest intensified almost a month after villagers submitted a memorandum to the Jorhat District Commissioner on January 20, demanding a halt to excavation activities under the ‘Flood mitigation through capacity enhancement of wetlands’ project, allegedly without any public hearing, environmental impact assessment or social impact assessment.

The villagers demanded that the detailed project report be made public. They also sought transparency on the project, which affects the livelihoods of hundreds of farming families and alters the natural wetland ecosystem that is vital for flood mitigation and groundwater recharge.

The protest took a different turn on Friday, February 27, 2026, when the police in Teok issued a notice to Debanga Sourav Gogoi, spokesperson of Akhil Gogoi-led Raijor Dal, based on the first information report. Various sections affiliated with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita were slapped against him, including those engaged in usurpation and rebellion.

He was asked to come to the police station on March 1.

Protesters said police had twice visited Mr. Gogoi’s house in a village under Teok police station in the middle of the night since the FIR was lodged a few days ago. “He is being elected because he raises procedural and environmental issues. This is nothing but political targeting and intimidation,” said a local Raijor Dal member.

Teok police did not receive any calls. No official statement was made regarding the claims of the villagers, who fear that the project, which is expected to create a large reservoir, will mean disaster for them in the long run.

There has been no flooding in the region, except for a single incident in 2017.