The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) constituted by the Supreme Court to look into the causes of encroachment in the reserved forest areas in different states has observed that the encroachers have an "unholy nexus" with the mafia, politicians and an influential section of people in the society of eight states where massive encroachments have taken place in the reserved forest areas. The CEC report says, that out of the total encroachment of 7.25 lakh hectares of reserved forest areas in eight states, 2.54 lakh hectares of forest lands are under encroachment in Assam.