Assam: CCTOA Flays State Cabinet Decision on Tirap Tribal Belt

STAFF REPORTER

Guwahati: The recent decision by the Assam Cabinet to notify the Ahom, Maran, Matak, Koch-Rajbongshi, Tea Garden communities, and Gorkhas as protected classes in the Tirap Tribal Belt has sparked sharp opposition from the Coordinating Committee of Tribal Organizations of Assam (CCTOA). Terming the move “anti-tribal” and “anti-protected class,” the committee criticized the government for not consulting tribal stakeholders before taking such a significant decision. The CCTOA said the decision undermines the original purpose of creating tribal belts and blocks, which was to safeguard the land rights of indigenous tribal and backward communities from socio-economically advanced groups and outsiders.

The Tirap Tribal Belt, created in 1951 under the Margherita Revenue Circle, includes 62 villages and spans 2,90,400 bighas of land. The CCTOA maintains that any community or individuals who settled in the region post-1951 are encroachers and must be evicted to preserve the integrity of the belt.

While the state has already recognized Ahoms, Marans, Mataks, and Chutias as protected classes in other belts like Shadiya, Murkongselek, and Chichitangani and has listed Gorkhas as protected across the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), the inclusion in Tirap has reignited concerns among existing protected class communities.

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