SILCHAR: The Indigenous People’s Forum, has called for an indefinite district bandh from April 26 demanding bifurcation of the hill district among others.
Indigenous People’s Forum (IPF) is a group of non-Dima tribal population of the state’s Dima Hasao district.
The decision for an indefinite strike was taken at a meeting of the executive committee of IPF in Haflong, the headquarters of Dima Hasao district.
The forum a conglomeration of students belonging to Biete, Hmar, Kuki, Karbi, Vaiphei, Zeme Naga, Khelma and some other non-Dimasa ethnic groups has been spearheading a series of agitations demanding bifurcation of the hill district since the state government changed the name of erstwhile North Cachar Hills to Dima Hasao vide notification on April 1, 2010.
“The Forum, during a mass rally held at Haflong on March 23, submitted a memorandum to the Assam chief minister through the deputy commissioner of the district with an earnest prayer to take necessary steps and fix a date for a tangible initiative towards materialisation of the IPF’s demand by April 10, 2023, failing which the Forum would be compelled to call an indefinite bandh in the district. Disappointingly, the Assam government is not sincere enough to consider our grievances and thus failed to respond to our prayer,” said IPF president L Kuki, working president S Jeme and general secretary L Hlima Keivom in a joint statement.
The state government’s failure to address it’s issues by April 10, has forced the organisation to opt for the strike.
The bandh from 5 am on April 26 has been called in support of demands including bifurcation of the Dima Hasao district under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, formation of a separate for the “non-Dima indigenous communities and the withdrawal of PRC verification process by the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council.
Indigenous Peoples’ Forum (IPF) has been demanding the bifurcation of the hill district, Dima Hasao, into two districts.
The Indigenous People's Forum on March 23 had charged up the entire atmosphere of Haflong city with the slogan 'No Migration No Rest'.
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