Peace in Dima Hasao

All do not seem to be well in Dima Hasao district. A group called the ‘Indigenous Peoples Forum’ (IPF), which claims to represent the non- Dimasa communities of the hill district has launched an agitation for a separate autonomous council for them. While a bandh called by the IPF earlier this month had led to the destruction of a number of public and private properties, a number of innocent persons were allegedly harassed and even physically assaulted by miscreants alleged to be supporters of the bandh. Students taking the on-going Class-X and Class-XII final examinations of the State and Central boards have also suffered because of the bandh. Dima Hasao, which till 2010 was known as the ‘North Cachar Hills’ district, had suffered a lot for more than a decade because of the formation of armed militant groups among some of the communities. Though these groups did not necessarily formally represent any tribal community as such, it is a fact that every community in the district – including those that the armed groups claimed to have had represented – had immensely suffered. While a number of innocent persons were killed, village after village was burnt down, ‘tax’ imposed on the people, education and healthcare suffered, agricultural activities came to a halt, and with rail and road transport frequently suspended there was an overall socio-economic loss which continues to remain irreparable even after those armed groups have surrendered or signed MoUs and returned home. The State and the entire north-eastern region too suffered immensely because the railway line through the hill district is a vital supply-line for States like Mizoram, Tripura and partially Manipur, apart from the Barak Valley region of Assam. Though the end of armed militancy a few years ago did bring back overall life to normal in the district, the change of name of the district, however, has not gone down well with the non-Dimasa communities. These groups, which had opposed the name-change from the day it was announced, have been also resorting to agitations from time to time, and the recent one was in continuation of the same. Time has changed, and so have the aspirations of people -- both as individuals and communities. Bandhs and blockades are outdated modes of protest which grossly violate the rights of individuals, irrespective of whichever side one belongs to. Bandhs and blockades have been declared un-Constitutional, anti-Constitutional, un-democratic as well as illegal by the Supreme Court. In a democracy, individuals, as well as communities and groups, have the right to demand something or protest against something. But nobody has the right to violate the basic rights of others. While leaders of certain organisations have the right to demand a separate autonomous council, they definitely do not have the right whatsoever to usurp or violate the rights of the common people including those belonging to communities they represent or claim to represent. It is a matter of great relief that one organisation called the ‘NC Hills Indigenous Students Forum’, which has been demanding compensation for land acquired for construction of the BG railway track has called off its railway-blockade programme. They should now find out other ways of fulfilling their demands.