Guwahati: The Assam government has approved a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to regulate inter-religious land transfers in the state, mandating a multi-layered verification process before any such transaction is approved.
According to the new framework, all inter-religious land sale proposals must first be submitted to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the concerned district. The DC will forward the application to the Revenue Department, where a designated nodal officer will examine the case and send it to the Special Branch of the Assam Police.
The police will then conduct a thorough investigation to verify the presence of elements of fraud, coercion, or illegality, confirm the source of funds, as well as assess the social and security implications of the proposed transfer. Based on these findings, the final decision will rest with the Deputy Commissioner.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, while announcing the move, underlined that land transactions in a sensitive state like Assam must be handled with caution.
The government will closely scrutinise whether such sales affect the social fabric of localities or pose a threat to national security. He also indicated that NGOs from outside Assam seeking land for establishing institutions would come under this framework, while local NGOs would not face the same procedure.
The decision is being viewed as a step towards preventing the transfer of land from indigenous communities to illegal settlers and ensuring that inter-religious land transactions do not undermine social harmony or state security.
By placing responsibility on both administrative and law enforcement agencies, the SOP aims to bring transparency and tighter control over land transfers across religious lines in Assam.
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