Assam: Arson at Jadav Payeng’s Forest sparks statewide protest over sand mining nexus

Guwahati: An illegal sand mining nexus has come under intense scrutiny after Molai Kathoni 2.0, a riverine forest raised in active opposition to riverbed extraction, was deliberately set ablaze on December 28, 2025.

The forest, nurtured by Padma Shri awardee Jadav “Forest Man of India” Payeng and his daughter Munmuni Payeng on a Brahmaputra sandbar near Baghmora in Assam, was widely seen as a natural barrier against erosion and an obstacle to unchecked sand mining in the area.

Preliminary estimates suggest that over 5,500 saplings planted since 2022 were destroyed, along with bird nests, eggs, and shelters for small animals—collateral damage in what locals allege was a targeted act to remove resistance to illegal sand extraction.

Environmentalists said the forest’s expansion directly threatened mining access routes and exposed irregularities in permits granted in ecologically fragile riverine zones.

Munmuni Payeng, who led volunteers in battling the flames for hours with minimal resources, said the destruction represented years of grassroots conservation wiped out overnight. The forest extension had emerged as a biodiversity corridor and a living protest against sand mining, which accelerates erosion and flooding in downstream char areas.

Suspicion has centred on sand mining interests, with activists alleging the fire was retaliatory and intended to intimidate conservationists who consistently opposed both legal and illegal mining along the Brahmaputra.

The allegations have intensified amid claims that mining permissions continued despite repeated objections from local residents and environmental groups, pointing to a deep-rooted nexus.

Political reactions sharpened focus on illegal sand mining following the arson. Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi termed the incident “extremely hateful and condemnable,” alleging government patronage of mining mafias and demanding the immediate cancellation of sand mining licences.

Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia sought a judicial inquiry, flagging alleged illegal mining near Kokilamukh and underscoring Molai Kathoni’s role within a nearly 550-hectare landscape of community-led restoration.

Following the arson, demands for action grew across the state. Environmentalists, student bodies, and civil society groups in Jorhat, Majuli, Dibrugarh, Guwahati, and Nagaon called for enhanced security for Jadav Payeng, a comprehensive probe into illegal riverbed mining, and a complete halt to extraction in ecologically fragile zones.

“This is not just arson; it is an attack on Assam’s future,” a volunteer said.

Although the Jorhat district administration has temporarily suspended sand mining in the affected area and investigations are underway, critics said only a sustained crackdown on illegal sand mining can prevent similar attacks.

The Molai Kathoni arson now stands as a stark warning of how unchecked extraction threatens both biodiversity and iconic conservation legacies in the Brahmaputra basin.