Overview

• Assam’s Cabinet cleared the SOP on August 27, making police scrutiny mandatory for inter‑religion land transfer applications while leaving same‑religion deals unchanged.
• The route requires filing with the Circle Officer or SDM, then referral to the Deputy Commissioner, onward to a Revenue Department nodal officer, and finally to the Assam Police Special Branch before the DC’s decision.
• The Special Branch will assess possible fraud or coercion, validate ownership, verify the buyer’s funding source, and evaluate local social‑cohesion impact plus national‑security implications.
• The same checks will apply to NGOs registered outside Assam seeking land for educational or health institutions, with Assam‑registered NGOs exempt from this process.
• The government says the SOP will streamline and expedite pending proposals and formalises earlier temporary restrictions introduced in March 2024.