STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Several indigenous organizations, including the All Tiwa Students’ Union, Tiwa Youth Students’ Council, All Tiwa Protection Committee, and the Belt, Block and Land Protection Committee, have jointly demanded the immediate intervention of Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma in view of the violent situation prevailing in West Karbi Anglong district over the past few days.
In a joint statement, the organizations said that the problem of Karbi Anglong is not limited to the district alone but is fundamentally an issue concerning the Assamese people as a whole. They emphasized that Karbi Anglong, though an autonomous district, lies well within the geographical boundaries of Assam, and therefore, the safety and rights of its indigenous communities are inseparably linked with the future of Assam.
The organizations stated that if the sons of the soil and indigenous tribal communities of Assam are not protected, then the Assamese people as a whole cannot remain secure. They pointed out that Karbi, Tiwa, and other indigenous tribal communities have inhabited the land of Karbi Anglong since ancient and prehistoric times, and any threat to their safety would pose a serious danger to the future of the state.
Highlighting land-related concerns, the statement said that protected areas and autonomous regions, including PGR, VGR, NC land, forest villages, tongsia villages, forest land, and wetland areas, belong to the indigenous people of Assam. The organizations asserted that they cannot accept illegal settlement by people of Indian origin in these protected areas.
Drawing comparisons, they questioned whether people from Assam would be allowed to occupy land illegally in states such as Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, or Uttar Pradesh, and said that such permission would certainly not be granted by those state governments.
According to the statement, unchecked and illegal settlement has endangered the lives and livelihoods of the Karbi people as well as other indigenous tribal communities of the district. Alongside the threat to land rights, indigenous people are increasingly gripped by the fear of becoming minorities in their own homeland.
The organizations said that the local indigenous population of West Karbi Anglong has been compelled to launch a democratic movement to protect their rights. However, the situation has recently taken a violent turn, resulting in the loss of several lives.
Stressing that dialogue is the only solution, the organizations stated that the use of repressive measures against protesters is unacceptable. They further warned that encroachment and domination by non-indigenous people on Assamese land would not be tolerated.
In view of the escalating situation, the organizations, through the statement, have urgently appealed to Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma to intervene and take necessary steps to restore peace and ensure the protection of indigenous rights.
The statement was jointly issued by Cheniram Malang, President, All Tiwa Students’ Union, Rajani Bordoloi, President, Tiwa Youth Students’ Council, Kartik Deuri, President, All Tiwa Protection Committee and Biswadeb Boro, President, Belt, Block and Land Protection Committee.
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