'Large-scale encroachment of tribal land has affected demographic pattern'

From our Correspondent

KOKRAJHAR, March 15: A meeting of the Tribal Belt and Blocks Protection Forum (TB&BPF) was held on Saturday at the premises of the Rupth Brahma Memorial Bodo Sahitya Sabha Bhavan, Kokrajhar to discuss numerous issues pertaining to protection of tribal lands, particularly in BTC and Assam in general. The meeting was chaired by Manik Kr. Brahma, president of TB& BPF.

Members of Tribal Belt & Block Protection Forum from all four districts of BTC like Baksa, Chirang, Kokrajhar and Udalguri attended the meeting. Prominent tribal leader Charan rzary, Rakeshwar Brahma, MLA, Mazbat and renowned citizens of Kokrajhar were also present in the meeting.

Charan rzary, who is also advisor of the TB & BPF, said that the subsequent governments of both the State and the Centre since independence of India had failed to safeguard the legal and constitutiol rights of the tribal people in Assam and vast tribal lands had been illegally encroached.

Rakeshwar Brahma, MLA of Mazbat, said, “Today because of large-scale encroachment of tribal lands, the demographic pattern has been adversely affected, resulting in manipulation of electoral politics of Assam. It is indeed sad that we have no representative in Lok Sabha despite Bodo being one of the Eight Schedule languages in the Indian Constitution. It is an open secret that tribal lands, especially in tribal belts and blocks, have been illegally encroached violating the land law as given in Chapter X of Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act, 1886.”

TB&BPF general secretary Pratibha Brahma said the Tribal Belt & Block Protection Forum had been formed to raise the land alietion issues of indigenous tribal people in tribal belts and blocks of Assam. The organization was concerned about the vast deforestation in rribal areas and illegal encroachment because of gross negligence of State Government, said Brahma.

The organization also demanded the update of NRC on the basis of 1951 census instead of 1971, especially in tribal belts and blocks for safeguarding the indigenous tribal population of Assam.