Assam to scrutinise land transfers between persons of different religions

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said that the state Cabinet has approved a special operating procedure to scrutinise the transfer of land between persons of different religions.

“In a sensitive state like Assam, the transfer of land between two religious groups needs to be handled very carefully,” Sarma told reporters. “All such land transfer proposals will now come to the government.”

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader added that the Assam Police’s Special Branch will scrutinise each proposal, looking at the source of the funds in such proposals and whether it has been reflected in tax returns.

The authorities will also look into whether such sales “will affect the social fabric of that particular locality, whether if any local people has objection, whether that has been addressed properly or not, and finally if there is any national security angle involved in certain cases”, said the Assam chief minister.

After the proposals are examined, the deputy commissioner will be informed about whether the transfer of land should be permitted, Sarma said, adding that the deputy commissioner will take the final decision.

The BJP leader also said that proposals submitted by non-governmental organisations from outside Assam seeking to procure land in the state to establish educational and health institutes, among other such reasons, will be...

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