APHLC Writes to PM: Sixth Schedule Is Tribal People’s Lifeline

The All Party Hill Leaders’ Conference (APHLC) submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It stated:

“The Government of India very kindly granted to us in 1969, Autonomous State to Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao Autonomous Districts, either jointly or separately, and for creating the Autonomous State, Article 244(A) was inserted in the Constitution of India. We humbly pray to the Honourable Prime Minister to place and pass a resolution in the Parliament to create an Autonomous State of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao either jointly or separately.”

They also stated that the Election Rules to be made under Paragraph 2(7) of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution are fundamental, and must be framed by the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) as well as other Autonomous Councils of the Northeast.

The memorandum recalled that in PIL Case No. 9/2017, the Gauhati High Court had directed KAAC to frame its Election Rules within six months, but till today no such rules have been made.

“We demand that KAAC must make the Election Rules of the Council without further delay or else, the present Autonomous Council must be dissolved for violation of the Constitution and the Judgment of the Gauhati High Court,” the APHLC stated.

The memorandum further alleged a corporate-government nexus in land grabbing across Sixth Schedule tribal areas of Assam.

“Under Paragraphs 1 and 20 of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India, the whole of Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao Autonomous Districts are Tribal Areas in which the non-tribal people have no right to own land. This was done by the Constituent Assembly of India to protect the marginalised tribes people of the then Assam. The law is more needed now than before. But non-tribal corporates including Ambani, Adani, Patanjali, Godrej, etc., in collusion with the anti-tribal Government of Assam are taking away the lands of poor and helpless tribes people in Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao, Rabha Hasong and Bodoland in the pretext of setting up Solar Projects, Cement Factories, Palm Oil Plantations, Compressed Bio Gas Plants, Sainik Schools, Ekalavya Schools, Hydro Power Projects, Red Sandalwood Plantations and Mining of various minerals including iron ore, coal, gold, precious stones, uranium, stone and sand.”

They demanded an immediate halt to such “backdoor land grabbing in the name of development,” warning that these activities threaten the survival of indigenous tribes. The memorandum also controversially stated:

“Schools in the name of the ‘most foolish man’ like Ekalavya must not be established because it is probable to cause mental degeneration of the students.”

Protests in Diphu

A wave of anger swept through Diphu on Wednesday as the APHLC, joined by Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) chief LurinjyotiGogoi, led a massive rally against what they alleged was the brazen handover of Karbi Anglong’s tribal land to corporate giants.

The march began from Birla and stretched nearly five kilometres before concluding at the District Commissioner’s office, where hundreds of locals carrying party flags and chanting slogans against the BJP-led Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) made their anger resound through the streets.

At a charged public meeting in Birla playground, AJP chief LurinjyotiGogoi accused CEM TuliramRonghang and the ruling BJP of auctioning off the district’s resources.

“The BJP is preparing to hand over 20,000 bighas of land in Bokajan, 12,000 bighas to Ambani for a CBG project, and another 12,000 bighas for palm oil cultivation to Ramdev and Godrej,” Gogoi alleged.

He further charged that while indigenous families were being stripped of their land, Ronghang was busy constructing a mansion worth ₹200 crore.

“In 2026, the people will uproot Tuliram’s regime from the hills. If we come to power, neither an inch of land nor the rights of Karbi Anglong’s indigenous people will be compromised,” he declared, drawing thunderous cheers from the crowd.

HC Judge Observes Similarity in Dima Hasao

A video circulating online has captured a dramatic courtroom moment where Gauhati High Court Judge Justice Sanjay Kumar Medhi reacted sharply to the Assam government’s decision to allot nearly 3,000 bighas of land in Dima Hasao to a private cement company for mining.

“3,000 bighas! That is almost an entire district. We know how barren the land is… 3,000 bighas? What kind of decision is this? Is this some kind of joke or what?” Justice Medhi remarked during the August 12 hearing, questioning whether such a move could ever serve the public interest.

The court noted that Dima Hasao is a Sixth Schedule District, where the Constitution places priority on safeguarding the rights and interests of tribal people. Handing over such an extraordinary stretch of land, the bench warned, undermines the very protections meant for indigenous communities.

Justice Medhi observed that the government’s action of giving an “extraordinary” tract to Mahabal Cement Private Limited runs directly against its stated objective of serving public interest.

Also Read: Mass Rally in Diphu Against ‘Corporate Land Grab’, Targets KAAC Chief