Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: The All Assam Tribal Sangha (AATS) has strongly opposed the Assam government’s decision to list ethnic communities as “protected classes” within the Tirap Tribal Belt and its continued push to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six major communities of the state.
AATS secretary general Aditya Khakhlari said that discussions were recently held between tribal organizations of Tirap and the visiting state-level delegation led by Minister Dr Ranoj Pegu and representatives of the State Coordination Committee for Tribal Affairs (CCTAA). The meeting, held on October 8, 2025, aimed to resolve tensions that followed the state government’s August 18 notification, which had classified Ahom, Moran, Motok, Koch-Rajbongshi, Chutia, Tea Tribes, and Gorkha communities as “protected classes” within the Tirap Tribal Belt.
Following protests and widespread opposition from indigenous tribal groups, Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma convened a meeting on September 10, 2025, with tribal leaders to discuss the issue. As per the decision of that meeting, Minister Dr Ranuj Pegu and the CCTAA delegation visited Tirap and engaged with local organizations. Dr Pegu is yet to submit the report to the Chief Minister.
Khakhlari said that several key proposals were adopted during the Tirap visit. The proposals include (i) amendment to the August 18 notification to protect the land rights of the original tribal inhabitants of the Tirap Tribal Belt, (ii) formation of a new tribal block within the existing Tirap Tribal Belt to ensure land security for indigenous ethnic groups, (iii) restructuring of panchayats so that only members of tribal communities may hold leadership positions in tribal-dominated areas, (iv) recognition of tribal villages as heritage villages and appointment of tribal individuals as gaonburas (village headmen) for life, and (v) preparation of a report recommending greater autonomy and self-governance for the tribal areas of Tirap.
Minister Dr Ranuj Pegu is expected to submit these resolutions to the Chief Minister shortly. The CCTAA will closely monitor the state government’s actions on this matter, he said.
On the issue of granting ST status to the six ethnic groups in the state, Khakhlari said that the AATS reiterated its strong opposition to the Central Government’s proposed legislation to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six communities—Tai Ahom, Moran, Motok, Koch-Rajbongshi, Chutia, and Tea Tribes—through the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2019. The AATS warned that if the Bill is passed, the existing recognised tribal groups of Assam would face complete marginalisation, losing access to reserved seats in the Assembly and Parliament, as well as reservations in education and government employment, he said. “The move will destroy the linguistic, cultural, and social identity of the existing tribal communities,” Khakhlari said, and added, “The AATS is not against the development of these six communities but firmly opposes their inclusion in the ST list at the cost of the rights of the genuine tribal groups.”
The AATS announced plans to organise awareness meetings across all districts and tribal regions of Assam in November to mobilise public opinion on the issue.
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