The Story Of Dehing-Patkai - How A Digital, Youth-Led Movement Saved A Pristine Rainforest In Assam From Mining

Protect Dehing Patkai Movement. Image by AI.

In the heart of Assam lies a stretch of extremely beautiful and highly biodiverse rainforest landscape called the Dehing Patkai. Its name derives from the Dehing River flowing through the region and the Patkai Hills bordering it. In 2020, this landscape was part of a major controversy. When India was going through a COVID-19 lockdown, India's National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) approved a coal mining project in the Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve, part of the Dehing Patkai landscape. If executed, the project would have permanently damaged the pristine rainforest in the region and killed many animals in the process. However, the news of this proposed project became a spark for a massive protest, primarily youth-led, and ended in halting the project's implementation. Another major victory for the protesters came when the Assam Government declared the formation of the Dehing Patkai National Park in the area, providing stronger legal protection to the rainforest. It was one of the biggest victories of people-led, community-organised mass protests against environmental destruction due to mining projects in India.

Background

A male hoolock gibbon, an endangered primate found in Dehing Patkai. Image credit: Timothy A. Gonsalves via Wikimedia Commons

Prior to the formation of the Dehing Patkai National Park, the landscape was protected as an elephant reserve and a wildlife sanctuary. Over the years, biodiversity surveys have established the presence of six species of primates, six species of wild cats, large herbivores like elephants and gaurs, several species of ungulates, over 300 species of birds, and much more in the Dehing Patkai landscape. A number of ethnic groups also inhabit the region. Thus, the Dehing Patkai is truly invaluable to India.

A signboard about the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary, now part of a larger national park. Image credit: পৰশমণি বড়া via Wikimedia Commons.

However, in April 2020, a decision by India's National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), a government organisation, shocked everyone. It approved coal mining in the North Eastern Coalfields in the Saleki Proposed Reserve Forest (PRF), part of the Elephant Reserve. When an environmental activist filed an RTI related to coal mining in the area, it revealed that such activities were already going on in the area illegally, and nearly 39% of the Dehing Patkai was suffering from mining activities since 2003 before the approval by NBWL.

All such information enraged concerned locals of Assam, who launched a protest against the NBWL decision. The protest drew support beyond expectations and forced a change in the government's attitude to Dehing Patkai.

The Dehing Patkai Protest

Protect Dehing Patkai Movement. Image by AI.

One of the hallmarks of the Dehing Patkai Movement was that students led it. The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) was a prominent leader of the protest. Students from Guwahati, Tezpur, and Dibrugarh Universities united for the movement.

Also, it was a very successful digital movement, as word of the protest spread virally across social media channels at a time when physical gatherings were restricted due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Hashtags like #SaveDehingPatkai became very popular across social media. Creative ideas to spread the word overflowed the internet in the forms of songs, poetry, artwork, and more.

Not only the students, but civil society and prominent cultural icons in Assam, such as musicians, writers, and filmmakers, supported the Dehing Patkai Movement.

Protests also reached beyond Assam, and words of support for the protesters poured in from across India.

The Outcome

• Temporary Halt of Mining: In June 2020, under massive public pressure, North Eastern Coalfields (NEC), Coal India Limited suspended all mining operations in and around the Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve.

• Government Reconsideration: The Assam government and the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) re-examined the earlier approval for coal mining.

• Increased Awareness: The movement brought national and global attention to the ecological importance of Dehing Patkai, often called the “Amazon of the East.”

• Cultural Mobilization: The protest unified students, activists, and artists. Campaigns like #SaveDehingPatkai became symbols of youth-led environmental activism in Northeast India.

• Legal and Protective Measures: In June 2021, the Assam government upgraded Dehing Patkai from a Wildlife Sanctuary to a National Park — providing stronger protection against mining and encroachment. It became the 7th National Park of Assam.

Dehing Patkai, is the only rainforest in Assam. Image credit: Trideep Dutta Photography via Wikimedia Commons.

The Dehing Patkai Protest was more than just a regional environmental campaign; it was a symbol of ecological consciousness in modern India. However, the fight to save the Dehing Patkai is not over yet. A recent report published in The Assam Tribune shows that illegal coal mining continues to denude the Dehing Patkai Landscape, and even the national park is not spared. The movement, therefore, needs to continue till the threat is completely and permanently eradicated.