Indigenous Rights In Assam Highlighted By Groups In Guwahati Presser

Several indigenous organizations from Assam, including the Goria-Moria-Desi Gonogostiya Parishad, All Assam Sonowal Kochari Students Union, All Assam Kolita Jonogoshti Parishad, Assam Jatiyotabad Punor Nirman Samiti, and All Assam Koch Rajbonshi Sonmiloni, have strongly condemned the Assam Police for their alleged use of force against the Koch-Rajbonshi community in Dhubri district's Golakganj, on September 10, 2025.

In a statement released on Friday, the groups demanded an impartial judicial inquiry into the incident and called for strict action against those responsible. They further urged the government to ensure such incidents do not recur and emphasized the need to protect the democratic rights of Assam’s indigenous communities.

The statement also highlighted a separate incident involving Bhanu Tatak, a young lawyer and legal advisor of the Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Forum, who has been leading the movement against the Siang River Dam in Arunachal Pradesh. Tatak had been invited to participate in a three-month program at Dublin City University in Ireland starting September 9. However, on September 7, she was reportedly detained by the Delhi airport immigration authorities for several hours, despite following all required procedures. Her flight was subsequently canceled, preventing her from attending the program. The organizations called on the Government of India to clarify the incident and ensure such treatment does not recur against indigenous communities in the Northeast.

The press release also traced the historical subjugation of indigenous peoples in the region, noting that after the 1826 Yandaboo Treaty between the British East India Company and the King of Burma, Assam came under British rule. The organizations argued that even after India gained independence in 1947, the fundamental problems of the region’s indigenous communities remain unresolved. They cited issues such as legal and illegal immigration, what they described as the central government’s colonial mindset, and divisive political policies as factors that continue to marginalize these communities socially, economically, politically, and culturally.

To address these longstanding grievances, the groups outlined a ten-point demand before the central and state governments, which includes:

Recognizing February 24, 1826, as the constitutional base year for indigenous communities and incorporating their definitions and lists under the Department of Indigenous and Tribal Faith and Culture.

Establishing a separate ministry for the welfare of indigenous communities in the Northeast.

Providing autonomous statehood to all indigenous ethnic communities of Assam.

Forming upper house legislative councils in states to ensure equal representation.

Implementing the Inner Line Permit system across the eight Northeastern states.

Revising the base year for identification of foreigners in Assam from March 24, 1971, to 1951, citing constitutional justice.

Officially recognizing and implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2007, in the entire Northeast.

Promoting, developing, and granting official status to all indigenous languages in line with the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032).

Including languages such as Tai, Koch-Rajbanshi, Kamrupiya, Karbi, Mishing, Dimasa, Tiwa, Rabha, Deori, Hajong, Kuki, Mar, Bodo, Rengma, and Garo in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

Declaring Assam a tribal state under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

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