Boro Seeks CBI Probe Into Rs 1,500 Crore Financial Irregularities In BTR Under Previous Regime

Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) chief Pramod Boro has accused the previous administration under Hagrama Mahilary of a massive Rs 3,000 crore scam. According to Boro, Rs 1,500 crore of this amount involved fake infrastructure and construction orders, indicating significant corruption and misuse of funds during Mahilary's tenure.

New Delhi: The Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) administration in Assam has decided to urge for a CBI or NIA investigation into the alleged scam of Rs 3,000 crore reported during the previous Hagrama Mahilary-led administration. Speaking to ETV Bharat on Tuesday, chief executive member of BTR Pramod Boro said that the BTR administration has recently decided to write letters to the Assam government and Home Ministry in that regard.

“There was a huge scam of Rs 3,000 crore in the BTR region, which took place during the previous regime. We have decided to write letters to the Assam government and Home Ministry for either CBI or NIA investigation,” said Boro. It is worth mentioning that Hagrama Mahilary ruled as BTR chief from 2005 to 2020.

According to Boro, of the Rs 3,000 crore scam, Rs 1,500 crore involved fake infrastructure orders. He said that the corruption and anomalies in the BTR region have been deeply rooted in all departments in the last 17 years during the tenure of the BPF-ruled council administration.

According to Boro, during his recent meeting with the Central government officials, he raised the issue of corruption during the previous administration. Boro, who is also the president of United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), a coalition partner in the BJP-led Assam government, said that the previous regime (Congress) did not have any plan or programme for the BTR.

“Because of the instability (in BTR) for a long time, there was no development. However, the situation has changed now. We are working together under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanata Biswa Sarma,” said Boro.

It is worth mentioning that BTR, which is also known as the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), was formed under the Sixth Schedule in 2003 after the signing of a Memorandum of Settlement between the Government of India, the Government of Assam and Bodo Liberation Tigers (Hagrama Mahilary led BLT), a disbanded Bodo insurgent outfits to fulfil economic, educational and linguistic aspiration and the preservation of land-rights, socio-cultural and ethnic identity of the Bodos; and to speed up the infrastructure in BTC area.

However, in 2020, the government of India signed another peace agreement with the government of Assam and Bodo's leaders representing All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), all factions of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB, another Bodo rebel organisation) restructuring BTC as BTR.