Martyrs kin decry missing of President's letter, to move court

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Dec 2: Is it that Dispur treats Clause 14 (B) of the Assam Accord, which speaks of rehabilitation of Assam Agitation martyrs’ kin and those who have been injured in the agitation, like dirt? Such a question arises as, besides doing precious little to rehabilitate  martyrs kin and injured ones Dispur has lost an important letter from the President of India on the appointment of as many as 168  martyrs kin in the Gas Cracker Project at Lepetkota.

Talking to newsmen at Dispur Press Club today, Sadou Asom Jatiya Swahid Parial Samanyrakshi Parishad (SAJSPSRP) president Hemanta Kumar th and general secretary Manik Chandra Debth said that even after 30 years of signing of the Assam Accord Dispur was yet to rehabilitate kin of agitation martyrs and injured. The Parishad addressed the press ahead of the Swahid Divas, December 10, the day when Khargeswar Talukdar was kiiled during the Assam Agitation.

Criticizing the Congress government at Dispur and the rendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre, the leaders of the parishad  said: “Modi promised that he would ensure the deportation of all foreigners if the BJP made it to New Delhi. However, after coming to power, he is talking of giving Indian citizenship to Bangladeshis. We want all foreigners who entered Assam after March 25, 1971 should be deported from the State.”

The two parishad leaders said: “From 1999-2002, 519 candidates from martyrs and injured families were given rehabilitation by the State Government in 21 departments, but not all of the 890 families of martyrs and injured ones could be covered at that recruitment drive. Many were left out. Dispur did ask the deputy commissioners to ascertain the exact number of candidates from such families in their respective districts. The deputy commissioners did their job, but the list has been gathering dust in the Personnel Department at Dispur. The rehabilitation of martyrs kin and injured with government jobs cannot be done as the Personnel Department doesn’t gives its approval to the list. Despite repeated pleas to Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, a large number of martyrs kin and agtitation injured could not be rehabilitated with government jobs, and that led the Parishad to write a letter to the President of India requesting him to ensure that the left out martyrs kin and injured ones should be given jobs in the Gas Cracker Project at Lepetkata, an Assam Accord project. The benevolent President then wrote a letter (P/D/09150202) to Assam Chief Secretary VK Pipersania in September this year. On October 27, 2015 the Chief Secretary sent the letter to the Additiol Chief Secretary, Commerce and Industry Department, T Jindal. On October 29 this year, the letter was received by a fourth grade employee of the department, Kishore Bhattacharya. But now the letter is missing. We lodged a protest with Pipersania and Jindal on the missing of the letter that has the mes of 168 candidates for appointment in the Gas Cracker Project at Lepetkata. We demanded an inquiry into the matter. We’ll move the court against the lackadaisical attitude of Dispur. ”

The Parishad said: “India-Bangladesh border fencing is yet to be completed, and the NRC update work currently underway following a directive from the Supreme Court is being dlayed by Dispur and New Delhi.”

Targeting former Assam Accord Implementation Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the leaders of the Parisahd said: “Sarma did precious little in the rehabilitation of martyrs’ kin with government jobs when he was at the helm of affairs, and now he is vocal in finding faults of the government.”

The Parishad demanded of the government to declare State holiday on December 10 when Khargeswar Talukdar was killed in the Assam Agitation.