Assam: Sonowal, Deori, Thengal Kacharis push for sixth schedule status

A CORRESPONDENT

DIBRUGARH: Following the Assam government’s decision to bring the Mising, Tiwa and Rabha communities under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, demands have intensified from the Sonowal Kachari, Deori and Thengal Kachari communities for similar constitutional protection and autonomous governance.

At a press conference held at Banikanta Pegu Bhawan in Dibrugarh on Friday, leaders of various organisations welcomed the inclusion of the Mising, Tiwa and Rabha communities but strongly criticised the state government for excluding the Sonowal Kachari, Deori and Thengal Kachari groups.

The organisation  termed the exclusion “discriminatory and unjust,” asserting that their long-standing demands have once again been ignored.

Earlier in the day, a joint meeting was convened under the leadership of Dr Abdul Deori, president of the Deori Assong Sixth Schedule Demand Committee. 

The meeting was attended by representatives of the All Assam Sonowal Kachari Students’ Union, Deori Assong Sixth Schedule Demand Committee, Sonowal Kachari Yuva Parishad, people from  Sonowal Kachari and All Assam Deori Mahila Parishad.

The organizations unanimously resolved to launch a  joint movement to press for Sixth Schedule status and  constitutional safeguards for the three communities.

The meeting resolved to base their demand on the recommendations of the 1996 Bhuria Committee Report, submitted to Parliament by Dr Dilip Singh Bhuria, and on the precedent of the formation of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council in 1983 by bringing three districts under the Sixth Schedule. 

The organisations decided to formally place these arguments before both the Assam government and the Centre.

As part of the agitation plan, the organisations announced a joint mass sit-in protest in Guwahati on January 19, demanding Sixth Schedule inclusion for the Sonowal Kachari, Deori and Thengal Kachari communities. They also resolved to organise a protest demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on February 5 with the participation of national-level organisations of the three tribes.

The organisation have decided to submit a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his proposed visit to the Mising Festival at Kareng Chapori in Bogibeel later this month, urging the Centre to address their demands.

A coordination committee comprising representatives of all three communities was also formed to steer the joint movement. Kiranban Deori, Milan Sonowal and Prafulla Thengal (Saikia) were appointed as conveners of the committee.

Addressing the media, Milan Sonowal pointed out that communities with much smaller populations had been granted Sixth Schedule status in the past.

He cited examples from Mizoram, where the Lakher community with a population of around 25,000 was granted autonomous status as early as 1952, as well as the Chakma and Mara areas.  He also referred to Tripura, where an autonomous district council was formed in 1982 despite a comparatively smaller population.

Questioning the rationale of the government, Sonowal said the Sonowal Kachari community, with a population of over four lakh, the Deori community with nearly two lakh people, and the Thengal Kachari community with over one lakh population, were being denied their rightful constitutional protection. 

He also mentioned that areas like the Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills had been brought under the Sixth Schedule despite having smaller populations.

Leaders Kiranban Deori and Dr Abdul Deori also criticised the government for prioritising only the Mising, Tiwa and Rabha communities while ignoring the Sonowal Kachari, Deori and Thengal Kachari groups, despite their geographical proximity and shared concerns. 

They expressed deep concern over alleged encroachment by outsiders in Tribal Sub-Plan areas and warned that the three communities would jointly intensify their agitation in the coming days. The leaders also cautioned that, particularly in Upper Assam, no community’s traditional areas should be wrongly included in the territorial maps of other Sixth Schedule regions, even inadvertently.

Also Read: Assam: Massive torchlight rally in Boko demanding sixth schedule status for Rabha Hasongs