STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The Coordination Committee of the Tribal Organizations of Assam (CCTOA) said that under no circumstances it would allow the violation of any tribal rights in the state.
The CCTOA organized a state-level workshop on ‘Protection of Constitutional Rights of the Tribal People of Assam’ here today. The resource persons at the workshop discussed issues like the would-be negative impact on the STs of the state in the event of according ST(P) status to the six advanced communities of Assam, reservation of HPCs (House of People’s Constituencies) and LACs (Legislative Assembly Constituencies) in Assam, inclusion of autonomous councils into Sixth Schedule and granting autonomy to other recognized STs of Assam, implementation of SCs and STs Prevention of Atrocities Act-1989, implementation of Chapter X of the ALR(R) Act-1886, implementation of the STs and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Right) Act-2006, implementation of the Assam SCs and STs (RVSP) Act-1978 as amended till date.
Speaking to The Sentinel after the workshop, CCTOA chief coordinator Aditya Khakhlari said, "The Constitution Scheduled Tribes (Amendment) Bill, 2019 is with the Rajya Sabha. If this Bill gets its passage, the six ethnic groups of Assam will get ST status. And that will impact the existing STs in the state politically, economically, and educationally. We oppose the Bill."
Khakhlari said, "At a recent meeting of the Hindu Bengali Yuva-Chatra Federation, the Chief Minister said that the Scheduled Caste people belonging to the Hindu-Bengali will get the right to buy lands in tribal belts and blocks in the state. The speakers at today’s workshop vehemently opposed this statement of the Chief Minister. We will go for a democratic movement against this move."
Citing Chapter X of the ALR(R) Act-1886, Khakhlari said, "This Act treats SCs as a protected class in tribal belts and blocks. In Assam, Scheduled Caste comprises Assamese SCs and Hindu Bengali SCs. The SCs who were present in tribal belts and blocks before their creation should be treated as protected classes under such belts and blocks. However, we will oppose any move to include Hindu Bengalis coming to such belts and blocks after their formation."
He said that the workshop raised the issue of resolving interstate border disputes. "We want the State government to resolve boundary issues with the neighbouring states by keeping the lands of the state intact. We have visited the Jirikinding area, where miscreants from Meghalaya entered 20 km inside the Assam area and destroyed houses and crops of the Karbis. We demand the State Government to resist the encroachment of Assam land by people from Meghalaya."
RHAC (Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council) CEM Tankeswar Rabha, ABSU vice president Kwrwmdao Wary, AATS advisor B Karji, advocate Shabdaram Rabha, and others took part as resource persons in the workshop.
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