BTC authority in Bodoland Territorial Region slammed by Gorkha students

A CORRESPONDENT

TANGLA: At a time, when the Pramod Boro led BTC authority in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) is celebrating the second anniversary of its government, the Gorkha community has decried the anti-Gorkha attitude of the local government in the BTR and demanded land rights to the community. A mammoth congregation of the Gorkha community under the initiative of All Assam Gorkha Students' Union (AAGSU) was held at Dhansirighat under the Orang police station in Udalguri district on Wednesday which slammed Pramod Boro led BTC authority for its anti Gorkha attitude.

Addressing the huge assembly of Gorkha people where people from all the five districts of the Bodo belt participated, AAGSU leader Arjun Chettri alleged that even after Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma took initiative to protect the land rights of the indigenous Gorkhas living in the BTR since pre independence era, the BTC authorities led by Pramod Boro have largely ignored the special protected class status of the Gorkhas in the tribal belts and blocks of the BTR as a result of which the Gorkha people are being allegedly harrassed and hounded by the concerned government officials in the revenue circle offices as well as in the BTC headquarter at Kokrajhar. "But we can't sit idle on this serious matter and are committed to get our rights as per the legal provisions facilitated by the government," said president of the All Assam Gorkha Students' Union, Arjun Chettri.

Criticizing the Bhumi Melas held in the BTR, the former president of AAGSU Bhaskar Dahal, said that these melas have no meanings to the indigenous Gorkhas of the BTR as their rights were not protected even after the State government has kept the Special Protected Class status of the community intact in the tribal belts and blocks of the State. He further exhorted the State government to interfere in the issue of land rights to the Gorkha community in the Bodo belt.

The massive 'Gana Hunkar' which witnessed the presence of more than six thousand people including people of some other communities was also addressed by the leaders of Asom Gorkha Sammelan and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha from Darjeeling.

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