Govt evicts illegal settlers from Dimapur airport land

In a major development, the State government on Thursday undertook a major eviction drive at Diphupar village to reclaim land acquired for expansion of the Dimapur airport. The drive, carried out amid tight security and in the presence of civil society observers, came after the Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench quashed interim injunctions granted to illegal occupants and upheld the government’s rightful ownership of the land.
The eviction was carried out under the directive of the Commissioner of Nagaland and executed jointly by Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of Dimapur and Chümoukedima. It came after a protracted legal battle over plots of land under dag nos. 38 and 40 of Diphupar village. The land was acquired by the state government and leased to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for expansion of Dimapur airport. Briefing media persons after the eviction drive, DC Chümoukedima Polan John disclosed that the exercise covered 22 individuals who were found to be occupying airport land in an unauthorised manner.
He clarified that although their land documents pertained to Ekranipathar village, the occupants had encroached upon land at dag nos. 38 and 40 at Diphupar village.
John informed that a notice was served by Dimapur DC on December 5, 2019 under the Nagaland Eviction of Persons in Unauthorized Occupation of Public Land Act, 1971, calling upon the 22 encroachers to show cause within 15 days as to why the eviction order should not be passed against them.
Upon lapse of the notice period, he said an eviction order was passed by Dimapur DC, directing the individuals to vacate the land and deliver possession of the public land covered by dag nos. 38 and 40 at Diphupar, removing all buildings and structures.
However, the eviction drive was delayed due to a status quo order passed by the Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench. The state government then subsequently sought modification/alteration of the interim order, which was vacated by the high court on January 1, 2020.
On vacating of the status quo order, John said the Dimapur DC gave extension of five days, but even then and before the eviction could be carried out, a temporary injunction was issued by Civil Judge, Dimapur, later upheld by the Principal District & Sessions Judge.
Eventually, the high court on May 27, 2025 quashed the temporary injunctions granted by the subordinate courts granted to the encroachers, and enabling the district administration to implement the eviction orders issued in December 21, 2019, and December 11, 2020.
John said the Friday’s eviction drive was jointly carried out by the district administrations of Chümoukedima and Dimapur, police along with all relevant departments as per the directive of the state government and in presence of independent observers, including tribal bodies, civil society organisations (CSOs), and neighbouring village councils.
He mentioned that a total of 24 structures were demolished during the drive, comprising four RCC buildings, three semi-pucca houses, and 17 thatched houses.
Meanwhile, DC Dimapur Dr Tinojongshi Chang confirmed that land under dag nos. 38 and 40 had been officially acquired by the state government and handed over to the AAI.
Highlighting the discrepancies in official land records, he said entries were allegedly tampered with, overwriting total land area from 27 bighas to 47 bighas, which he termed it as an illegal act. Additionally, he said trace maps of mutation records were missing from official files.
Asked whether the encroachers provided any resistance to the authorities, he replied that though there was minimal resistance, the eviction went out as per procedure. He said a 15-day notice along with five-day grace period was given to the encroachers to evict from the land.
On the names of the Revenue Officer and DC under whose term the mutation of land was done, Chang revealed that it was done between 2012 and 2015. He said the matter was under investigation and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been formed to probe the issue, confirming that the allotment orders and land pattas of the encroachers had already been cancelled.
Regarding encroachers’ claim that their right to appeal in the Supreme Court was by-passed/denied through the eviction, he pointed out that the High Court passed the order on May 27, giving them ample time to appeal. He claimed that notice and grace periods were given in 2020, and hence the allegation of not giving them sufficient time did not arise.
Asked if CRPF and Assam Rifles camps in the area were also evicted, he clarified that the eviction drive targeted only public encroachers occupying approximately 17.9 acres of land. He said the matters relating to Assam Rifles and CRPF were being dealt with separately, adding that a survey in 2024 had already directed the Assam Rifles to relocate their camp to Shokhuvi.
He expressed appreciation to the CSOs, tribal leaders, and village councils for their cooperation and support during the eviction.