Assam CM Receives Memorandums on Inclusion of 7 Groups in Tirap Belt

Today, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited Margherita to participate in an event distributing cheques to Lakhpati Baideu. During the visit, he also received two memorandums opposing his cabinet’s decision to include seven communities in the “protected class” category in the Tirap Tribal Belt.

The memorandums were submitted by the Tirap Autonomous District Council Demand Committee to the CM Sarma. One of the memorandums highlighted that the notification including various tribes under “Gorkha” in the Tirap Tribal Belt has sparked strong public opposition and threatens the rights of indigenous communities. The memorandum stated:

"Strong public demand to cancel Notification No. ECF.647686//1211687/2025, the inclusion of the Ahom, Matak, Moran, Chutia, Gorkha, Tea Garden, and Adivasi groups under the guise of 'Gorkha' in the protected category status in the Tirap Tribal Belt, protected under the Bengal Eastern Regulation 1873 and the Assam Land Revenue Regulation Act, 1886, which will exterminate the backward and illiterate poor tribal people including Singpho, Khamti, Tai-Phake, Tangsa Naga, Sema Naga, Sonowal Kachari, Mising, Deori, Mech-Kachari, Rabha, Hajong, Bodo, etc., especially in the Margherita sub-division, in the interests of tribal people."

The memorandum also requested: "Request to exclude the non-tribal people mentioned above from the Tirap Tribal Belt under the Bengal Eastern Regulation 1873 to protect the aboriginal tribal people of Tirap, as the matter falls under the Seventh Schedule subject and is illegal, violating Article 342 of the Constitution of India."

Meanwhile, the second memorandum provided historical context, noting that during British colonial rule in 1943, the Tirap Frontier Tract was established at Margherita headquarters to protect indigenous tribal communities such as Singpho, Sema, Tangsa, Tai Phakey, Khamti, Khamiyang, Turung, and Aiton. After India’s independence, the Assam government officially notified the area as the Tirap Tribal Belt (TAD/R73/50/43 dated 13 March 1951) to safeguard these communities and their lands from illegal encroachment by outsiders.

The memorandum expressed concern over the government’s failure to protect the Tirap Tribal Belt from illegal encroachers and foreign settlers, stating that this neglect violates provisions under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), particularly Article 29, which recognizes the right of indigenous peoples to conserve and protect the environment and the productive capacity of their lands, territories, and resources.

The memorandum also emphasised solidarity among indigenous communities, stating: "We, the indigenous people, may consider other indigenous communities like Ahom, Moran, Mottak, Sonowal Kacharies, and Bodo as our associate communities. The Dehing Patkai Open Cast Mining Project, operated by North Eastern Coal Field Coal India Limited, is the main problem for indigenous people. Due to this open-cast mining, drinking water is polluted. It is a big threat to forests, wildlife, farming land, plantations, environment, ecology, and biodiversity."

The Assam government’s move to extend “protected class” status to several non-tribal groups has sparked a wave of protest from organisations representing indigenous communities, who allege the decision violates constitutional safeguards and threatens the future of smaller tribal communities.

Through a Cabinet decision dated 18 August 2025 and formalised in Notification Memo No. ECF.647686/1/1211687/2025/A, the government accorded protected status to communities including the Ahom, Moran, Motok, Koch-Rajbongshi, Chutia, Tea Tribes, and Gorkhas.

Historic Context of Tirap Tribal Belt:

The Tirap Tribal Belt was officially constituted on 13 March 1951 under government notification No. TAD/REV/73/50/43. It has historically been inhabited by Singpho, Tangsa, Khamti, Khamyang, Tai-Phake, Aiton, Turung, Mising, Sonowal Kachari, Deori, Bodo, Mech, and Rabha, among others.

Tribal organisations argue that granting protected class status to large non-tribal groups undermines the purpose of Tribal Belts and Blocks, which were introduced to safeguard indigenous land rights. They further noted that within the Tribal Belt, communities such as Nepali cowherds, Bengali Namasudras, Sutradhaars, Scheduled Castes, Chowtal Mundas, and OBCs had already been recognised as protected, and the inclusion of more non-tribal groups, they allege, will accelerate the marginalisation of indigenous tribes.

Also Read: Protests Across Assam Over Inclusion of Communities into Tirap Tribal Belt