Assam Police, on Monday (15th September), arrested the Assam Civil Services (ACS) official Nupur Bora in Guwahati for possessing disproportionate wealth. Bora’s arrest came after a team from the Assam Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell raided her Guwahati residence and found cash worth ₹92 lakh and jewellery valued at nearly ₹1 crore. An additional ₹10 lakh was seized by the authorities from her rented house in Barpeta.

Bora, a resident of Golaghat, joined the Assam Civil Service in 2019 and was appointed as an Assistant Commissioner in Karbi Anglong. She was transferred to Barpeta as a circle officer in 2023 and was currently posted as a circle officer in Kamrup district’s Goroimari. Before joining the ACS, Bora, an English graduate, worked as a lecturer in the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET). Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that Bora was under surveillance for the last six months after complaints of some dubious land transfers were received against her.

Land transfers to “suspected individuals”: Assam CM’s accusation

Sarma said that during her tenure as circle officer in the Barpeta district, Bora facilitated the transfer of government land and the land belonging to Hindus, including Satra (Hindu religious trust) land, in the names of ‘suspected individuals’.

“This officer had transferred Hindu land to suspicious individuals in exchange for money when she was posted in the Barpeta revenue circle,” said CM Sarma. He added that there is rampant corruption in the revenue circles in minority-dominated areas in Assam.

A complaint was filed against Bora by a local activist group named Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), led by Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi. The complaint alleged that Bora maintained a detailed “rate card” for land-related services and that her bribe ranged from ₹1,500 for land maps to Rs 2 lakh for name inclusion or cancellation in land records. Rosy Kalita, SP of the Special Vigilance Cell, reportedly confirmed that multiple corruption allegations were levelled against Bora. She added that the seizure of cash and jewellery on Monday was only a preliminary operation, and that further investigation might lead to more shocking discoveries.

As per reports, the SVC also conducted searches at the residence of Bora’s aide, Lat Mandal Surajit Deka, who is currently posted at the revenue circle in Barpeta. Deka is accused of acquiring several land properties in Barpeta in collusion with Bora during her posting in the district.

Assam CM raises alarm about changing demography

The allegations of illegal transfer of land of Hindus to ‘suspected individuals’ against Nupur Bora have emerged amid CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s repeated warnings of demographic changes taking place in Assam. In order to address the issue of demographic shift in the state, the Sarma government has been conducting anti-encroachment drives for the past few years. In July this year, CM Sarma announced that his government released over 1.19 lakh bighas of land from encroachers as part of the state’s ongoing drive.

During an Independence Day address this year, Sarma reminded the people of Assam that they need to preserve Assam’s identity, and warned that it could go extinct in the coming days if demographic shifts continued unchecked. CM Sarma has, on several occasions, highlighted how the demographic composition has drastically changed in Assam over the last several decades. He pointed out how Muslims, who comprised around 12-14% of the total state population in 1951, have reached 40% now. He asserted that it was not a matter of politics but an issue of life and death.