Pathsala: The Bajali District Suraksha Samiti has suffered a setback with its two secretaries, Bijan Bayan and Samudra Patgiri, resigning from their posts over what they described as the failure to resolve the district’s boundary and administrative issues.
Announcing their resignations at a press conference in Pathsala, Bayan and Patgiri said repeated efforts by the committee had failed to secure a clearly defined boundary or a stable administrative identity for Bajali.
The two leaders also raised concerns over the recent transfer of around 50 villages from Patacharkuchi police station to Howly and Barpeta Road police stations. They alleged that the move was effectively reducing the police district to the limits of the Bajali Assembly constituency.
They further alleged that some senior members of the Suraksha Samiti had come under political influence, weakening the movement for a properly defined Bajali district. They also questioned the role of former Patacharkuchi MLA and current Assam Legislative Assembly Speaker Ranjit Kumar Das in the matter.
The Bajali District Suraksha Samiti was formed at a public meeting at the Pathsala Harimandir premises after then Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced the elevation of Bajali subdivision to a district. The committee was formed to seek a clearly defined boundary, full-fledged district status and resolution of developmental and administrative concerns.
Bajali was officially declared a district in 2021, becoming Assam’s 34th district. Its district status was subsequently withdrawn and restored several times amid administrative and delimitation-related issues.
On October 12, 2023, Bajali was again declared a district, but with a smaller geographical area than its earlier subdivision boundaries.
A three-member committee of Cabinet ministers was also formed to resolve the boundary dispute between Bajali and Barpeta, but the issue remains unresolved.
Bayan and Patgiri said Bajali now has different boundaries for its administrative, police, education and electoral jurisdictions, while records and files of various government offices remain divided between Bajali and Barpeta.
They said their resignation was prompted by their failure to secure a permanent resolution to the boundary and administrative issues, bringing Bajali’s geographical and administrative identity back into focus.