Tribal Bodies March in Morigaon, Submits 7-Point memorandum to Assam CM

Leaders of various tribal organizations under the banner of the Morigaon District Tribal Sangha on Tuesday staged a protest march through the town before submitting a seven-point memorandum to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma via the Deputy Commissioner.

The organizations placed the following demands:

• Immediate halt to any move for granting Scheduled Tribe status to the Koch-Rajbongshi (Joy Janagosthi) community.
• Early implementation of the proposed “Small Tribal Belt Blocks.”
• Inclusion of the Tiwa Autonomous Council under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
• Eviction of illegal encroachers from 22,022 bighas of land within the seven tribal belt blocks of Morigaon district.
• Allocation of vacated land to landless tribal families.
• Unconditional land pattas to tribal households residing for decades on PGR/VGR land within the tribal belt blocks, through a special survey.

Addressing the gathering, one of the tribal leaders expressed resentment that although the Assam Cabinet had already taken certain decisions on tribal belt protection, they remain unimplemented. He alleged that the state government has carried out eviction drives in both Upper and Lower Assam while “conveniently ignoring Morigaon, where illegal immigrants continue to occupy large areas of tribal land.”

The leader also alleged that non-tribal groups, including “Bengali, Bihari, Muslim and other settlers” have been encroaching upon and trading tribal land in violation of existing laws. He issued a stern warning to officials involved in such practices.

“The circle officers and mandals who are registering land in the names of non-tribals must stop these illegal practices immediately, or else they will have to face jail if they continue aiding encroachment,” he said.

The tribal organizations cautioned that unless their long-pending demands are addressed, the agitation would only intensify across Morigaon and adjoining districts.

Also Read: Gauhati HC Grills Govt Over 3,000 Bighas Tribal Land Allotment to Cement Firm