Citizenship Status of Ananta Ray questioned by Bodoland Janajati Suraksha Mancha

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KOKRAJHAR: Bodoland Janajati Suraksha Mancha (BJSM) on Friday questioned the citizenship status of Ananta Ray whom Union Home Minister Amit Shah met at Chatipur in Chirang district on February 11.

The president of BJSM, Janaklal Basumatary questioned who was Koch Rajbongshi leader Ananta Ray in Chirang district of BTC? He alleged that Ray was a wanted culprit hiding in Bortulla encroached area in Chirang district who originally hailed from Rangpur district of Bangladesh, via Koochbehar. He said he was not Koch Rajbongshi because in Bangladesh and West Bengal there was no community of Koch Rajbonhshi. Koch and Rajbongshi were separate communities. He said that the Rajbongshis of West Bengal, Bangladesh and migrant Rajbongshies of Assam were known as Khatriya Rajbonhshis. Koch and Rajbongshi were separate castes.

Basumatary said that in Meghalaya they were simply known as Rajbongshi, in Assam and Meghalaya also Koch were separate caste and therefore, the royal family of Koochbehar kingdom could not be Koch Rajbongshi. He said that the actual race of the royal family of Koochbehar kingdom was Mech or Boro.

Basumatary said that the claim of Ananta Ray belonging to royal family was 'bogus' as there was no community called Koch Rajbongshi in the Koochbehar kingdom. He said that Rajbongshis were a mixture of several communities like Ghulia, Palia, Halo, Malo and Jalo which had migrated from Paundra Desh in South East Bihar and South Bengal massive in the 16th century during the reign of Mech King Biswa Singha, son of Hauria Mech. He also said that they were not related to the Koochbehar king's royal family.

The BJSM leader also said that they could not be granted ST status as there was no such community as Koch Rajbongshi. He said that the first qualification for ST status was that the community must be a distinct community, but Koch and Rajbongshi were separate castes so they could not become a common Koch Rajbongshi community. "Koches are distinctly separate community with separate language, culture, traditions, and ethnic group. Rajbongshis belong to separate ethnic group with separate language, culture and traditions. Thus, the Koch Rajbongshi is not the same community. Therefore, no ST status can be granted by the name Koch Rajbongshi," he said adding that the Government of Assam could not distribute ST quota in the name of Koch Rajbongshi.

He reiterated that the claim of the Rajbongshis belonging to the Koch royal family was false and their claim of Koch Rajbongshi community was also false. "Their claim of Kamatapur state is baseless as they are not related to the old Kamatapur kingdom, which was inherited by Mech people or western Kacharies," he said.

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