Is Assam Defying Global Indigenous Rights by Diluting Tribal Belts?

The United Tribal Organization of Assam (UTOA) has strongly condemned the Assam government’s August 18 notification that expanded the list of “protected classes” under the Tirap Tribal Belt to include non-tribal communities such as the Ahoms, Mataks, Morans, Chutias, Gorkhas, Koch Rajbongshis, Tea Garden workers, and Adivasis.

Calling the move “unconstitutional, discriminatory, and anti-tribal,” UTOA said the decision directly undermines the original purpose of Assam’s Tribal Belts and Blocks, which were created under the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation, 1886 to safeguard the land rights of Scheduled Tribes.

Threat to Tribal Survival

“The Tirap Tribal Belt was constituted to protect the land and identity of Scheduled Tribes. Diluting this mechanism by including non-tribal communities will only accelerate land alienation and displacement of genuine indigenous people,” said Markush Basumatary, President of UTOA.

The organisation stressed that the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution and historical safeguards clearly identify the protection of tribal land as a core obligation of the state. The new notification, they said, amounts to a direct assault on indigenous survival and self-determination.

Link to Global Indigenous Rights

UTOA drew attention to its role in the Global Indigenous Land Forum held in Colombia in June this year, where it represented India at the adoption of the Kwet Kina Declaration. The declaration, drafted by Indigenous groups from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and EMENA, asserts that governments must ensure free, prior, and informed consent of tribal organisations before altering laws or policies affecting their territories.

“We were part of the Kwet Kina Declaration, which calls on governments to stop land dispossession, ensure territorial governance by indigenous communities, and comply with international legal obligations including UNDRIP and ILO Convention 169,” Basumatary said.

The declaration also warns against policies that amount to “ecocide, ethnocide, and genocide” by undermining indigenous territorial rights.

UTOA’s Demands

In its statement, UTOA put forward four key demands:

1. Immediate withdrawal of the August 18 notification.

2. Mandatory consultation with indigenous tribal bodies before any amendment to Tribal Belt or Block laws.

3. Strict enforcement of original protections to prevent land alienation.

4. Compliance with national and international standards, including the Kwet Kina Declaration, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and Sixth Schedule safeguards.

Wider Implications

Indigenous rights experts note that the controversy in Assam resonates with global indigenous struggles highlighted in Colombia earlier this year. The Kwet Kina Declaration urges governments to uphold self-determination, respect sacred territories, and halt extractive projects that displace indigenous peoples.

By bypassing consultation with tribal organisations, critics argue that the Assam government’s move not only violates constitutional safeguards but also undermines India’s commitments at international forums.

UTOA warned that it would pursue “democratic, legal, and international advocacy measures” to safeguard the ancestral lands of Assam’s tribal communities.

Read the Kwet Kina Declaration by Indigenous Peoples Here: 

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