Political and constitutiol safeguard must be given to indigenous people'

From a Correspondent

Tezpur, June 14: The first three-day long indigenous people’s meet held at the Hem Baruah Hall in Tezpur came to an end on Tuesday.

On the first day, the programme started with the commemoration of indigenous tribal and tiol heroes like Harjar Barma, Lachit Bar Phukan and Trikendrajit by the delegates representing the north-eastern States. It was followed by the opening ceremony, and open session of the three-day long programme under the aegis of president of Asom Sanmilita Mahasangha, Matiur Rahman. In this conference the delegates coming from across the region came to a decision to fight together for the birth and legitimate rights over their land. In the same meeting, for giving a united stand in favour of their rights, a committee called Monitoring Committee for North-eastern Region Indigenous People’s Right was formed with R. Win Chiyem Sutong as convener. The other members of the committee are Lendin Kota Aow (galand Tribal Council), Theja Thora (publicity secretary), Sunta Jamatia and Jolendra Riyang (member and secretary, Tripura People’s Front), Robert Jun K Johri and Do Boklong K Lingduh (president and general secretary, Honey Trip Youth Council, Meghalaya), Matiur Rahman (Asom Sanmilita Mahasangha), Perom Tsiri of Aruchal Pradesh and president of the North-east India Manipuri Association, Madhu Chandra Singh.

After the execution of the committee, it immediately held its first meeting at the venue of the conference wherein it was unimously decided to extend full support to the continued movement of Asom Sanimilita Mahasangha and the PIL filed in the Supreme Court regarding the illegal foreigners’ issue for the past many years. The meeting hoped that the Supreme Court would provide an adequate judgment to the petitioner party, thereby paving a way for pushing back the illegal Bangladeshis and other foreigners.  

“Under the initiative of Honey Trip Youth Council, Meghalaya, the second meeting will be held on June 27 in Shillong,” convener of the newly-formed indigenous body, R. Win Chiyem Sutong revealed while interacting with the media after the meeting.

While addressing a press conference, Matiur Rahman, in presence of the president of Singphow Yatiya Parishad, Singphow King Bisa Long Singphow, president of All Assam Nichi Association, Perom Tsiri, secretary of Moran Sahitya Sabha, Ajit Moran, president of Mising Democratic Right Security Committee, Bhupen rah and assistant general secretary of Asom Sanmilita Mahsangha, Surendrath Deka, said that that if the burning issue of illegal foreigners that has been posing a serious threat to the region, particularly Assam and Tripura, cannot gain priority in the Supreme Court of India, the indigenous body under the initiative of Asom Sanmilita Masangha will approach the UNO. “We want a political and constitutiol safeguard under the Indian Constitution because the illegal foreigners sneaking into Indian soil either from Bangladesh, or from Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan or other parts of the globe, have paralyzed our region and hampered our demography and socio-economic status,” said Rahman.

He reiterated that 855 martyrs did not sacrifice their lives for making March 25, 1971 as base year. “The base year 1951 fixed by the Indian Constitution for every illegal foreigner grabbing land in any corner of the country has to be applicable for Assam also which is admitted in a united voice by all the indigenous tribal leaders of the region,” Matiur Rahman said.

He also said that the legal fight that has been on over the years seeking a positive result in this regard would remain a continued process until and unless the illegal foreigners go out from the soil of Assam. Expressing his serious concern over the biased data mentioned in most of Assam history, he alleged that some so called historians wrote history according to their own intention neglecting the real facts and figures. “In most of the history, information is given wrongly hurting the image and dignity of the sons of the soil,” he reiterated.

Meanwhile, the Singhphow king said that the remote rural areas near Ledo-Margherita where the Singphow community used to stay were in a pitiable condition. “We the Sigphows that once had a kingdom with sound economic condition today have to think of better health facility or road communication as a dream,” he lamented.