In January 2023, the North Frontier Railway (NFR) authority issued eviction notices to 631 persons living around the Dimapur Railway Station. The notice states that the land belongs to the Railways. The residents were given [15 ](https://nagalandpage.com/nfr-issues-eviction-notices-to-more-than-700-people-around-dimapur-rly-station/#:~:text=NFR issues eviction notices to more than 700 people around Dimapur Rly Station,-3 months ago&text=DIMAPUR%2C JANU)days to vacate the area, following which they would be removed by administrative officials. Affected residents on the other hand claim they own the land and even possess pattas (land titles) to prove it.
In an interview, Sabyasachi De, the NFR's Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), stated that individuals have encroached on approximately 30.283 Ha of the total 53.806 Ha of railway land in Nagaland. A number of multi-storey buildings have also been [constructed ](https://nagalandpost.com/index.php/development-of-dimapur-railway-station-halted/#:~:text=The threat against improvement of,Ha have been illegally occupied.)illegally in the railway station's staff quarters area. The CPRO further mentioned that NFR had approached the State government multiple times, but no considerable assistance had been supplied. He said the only recourse available to NFR was that of filing FIRs against encroachers to bring the matter to the state government's attention. He also pointed out that development projects for upgradation of the Dimapur Railways could not proceed due to a lack of land.
Another group that has laid a claim over the land is the village council of the area. The village council had published a notice in the Nagaland Post in March 2022, which summoned NFR officials and stated that the railways had encroached on village land.
According to the Land Owners Union the land was passed down to them by their ancestors. To this General Manager of NF Railways stated "Whatever is our land is our land. People may say anything but whatever is of Railways will remain railways' land." Railways came to this state in 1903 in Dimapur but before that the land was taken over by the Railways in 1900. It is all Railway land wherever eviction is going to happen."
Dimapur Naga Students Union (DNSU) has also requested that the State Authority investigate the situation and take appropriate action at the earliest.
Back in 2022, MLAs from Dimapur Moatoshi Longkumer (Dimapur-II) and Azheto Zhimomi (Dimapur-III) had urged the state government to evict all unauthorised occupants of the said land and to take necessary action against the government officials who had issued pattas to the people living on those lands.
As of April 2023, the residents have not been evicted.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources
Demand for legal recognition of land rights
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Urban
Type of Land
Common
Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)
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
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Residential area
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
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.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
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:
Legal Status:
Out of Court
Status of Case In Court
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Case Number
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Dimapur District Administration, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR)
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
No
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Dimapur Naga Students’ Union (DNSU), Land Owners Union
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?
Emilo is pursuing her PhD in Political Science at the North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong. Her primary research areas include human and land rights and gender issues.
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