Guwahati: Government and forest land encroachment by missionary education institute Don Bosco University has come to light after the sensational suicide of an actor cum businessman in Sonapur near Guwahati.
Actor, and businessman George Bordoloi, in his suicide note, mentioned that Vice-Chancellor of Stephan Mavely mentally tortured him in a fake land-related case which forced him to commit suicide. Businessman George Bordoloi committed suicide on Monday (May 23).
On Tuesday, Sonapur police arrested Stephan Mavely on abetment to suicide case. After the initial investigation by police, it has come to light that the Don Bosco University has encroached on 99 acres of government and forest land in the Sonapur area near the Guwahati city.
Arrested Stephan Mavely was sent to two days of police custody by a session court in Guwahati. Even though he was granted bail on Thursday by Guwahati High Court, Mavely was ordered to fully cooperate with the investigation team.
Businessman George Bordoloi in his suicide note mentioned that Father Stephan Mavely blocked several elephant corridors by constructing boundary walls of his university campus, which led to a man elephant conflict in the Sonapur area.
On Thursday, the Assam government constituted a high-level committee to investigate the serious land grabbing allegation against the missionary education institute. Additional Chief Secretary Pavan Borthakur, Additional Chief Secretary Revenue G D Tripathy and Guwahati Deputy Commissioner Pallav Jha will investigate the allegation levelled by the killed businessman George Bordoloi in his suicide note.
Meanwhile, locals in the Sonapur area said that a few years ago, the huge area was forest land, and Don Bosco University constructed boundary walls and built their campus on the forest land by encroaching it. They demand a thorough investigation of the matter. Locals also alleged that after the construction of boundary walls by Don Bosco University, the elephant corridors were blocked, and man-elephant conflicts rapidly increased in the areas in the last few years.
