Ensuring Indigenous Rights: Tribal Organizations Join Hand To Protect ‘Tirap Tribal Belt’

In independent India, the tribal belts and blocks in Assam were created with the vision of protecting indigenous tribal people, particularly their land rights. It is mandatory that land transactions within these designated belts and blocks occur only among the protected tribal communities. This mandate was established through an amendment to the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act (ALRR), 1886, with the introduction of Chapter X.

The Tirap Tribal Belt in Tinsukia district was created through this process on March 13, 1951. However, over the years, the tribal communities residing within it have feared land alienation, threatening their identity and constitutional rights. This long-standing concern recently reached a turning point after a viral video surfaced, alleging land encroachment on property belonging to Singpho King Kotha Gam Singpho. The issue was covered in detail by Pratidin Time, which can be accessed [here].

Tribal Organizations Join Hands

To strengthen the struggle for protecting indigenous land rights in the Tirap Tribal Belt, multiple tribal organizations convened in Moulang Khamti village, Ledo.

On April 3, at the State-Level Conference of indigenous tribal organizations from Assam and the Northeast, representatives from 15 organizations pledged to continue the fight for securing the rights of indigenous people in their homeland.

The conference, convened by Milon Sonowal of the Tribal People’s Confederation, Assam and Pallav Shyam Wailung of the Tirap Autonomous District Council Demand Committee, culminated in the formation of the Co-ordination Committee of the Indigenous Tribal Organizations, Tirap.

The conference also passed several resolutions, including:

• Demanding that the government reclaim encroached land in the Tirap Tribal Belt occupied by individuals from non-protected communities.

• Seeking the return of lands illegally taken by non-protected individuals, including those belonging to Kotha Gam Singpho.

• Calling for an end to open-cast mining by Coal India Limited, which has endangered Malu Gaon, a village inhabited by the Tangsa community.

• Reclaiming land donated by Johovi Sema, the former headman of Longtong Sema Naga village, which was intended for establishing a school.

Immediate Issues, Enduring Crisis

The tribal communities of the Tirap Belt, including the Singphos, Sema Nagas, Tangsas, Tai Khamyangs, and Tai Aitons, have long faced a series of challenges, with land security and identity preservation at the core of their struggles.

The newly formed initiative aims to address these concerns while intensifying demands for the creation of a Tirap Autonomous District Council and a clear demarcation of the tribal belt's boundary.

According to Pallav Shyam Wailung, the boundary of the Tirap Tribal Belt remains unclear as no proper cadastral survey has ever been conducted.

As immediate priorities, the coalition of organizations has identified three urgent issues:

1. Reclaiming the encroached land of Kotha Gam Singpho.

2. Protecting Malu Gaon from the hazardous effects of open-cast mining by Coal India.

3. Recovering the land donated by Johovi Sema for school establishment.

Coal Dumping: Pictures Of Malu Gaon

 What Irks the Sema Nagas of Longtong Village?

In 1956, Johovi Sema donated over 9 bighas of land to establish a school in the village, which led to the founding of Longtong ME School. In 2022, the ME School was amalgamated with Tirap High School despite strong objections from the Longtong Village Development Committee.

As Kahoto Sema, the president of the Longtong Development Committee, told Pratidin Time, the land belongs to the village committee. After the amalgamation, when the committee sought to register the land (for patta) in its name, it was discovered that Mukti Bahadur Chetry, the headmaster of Longtong High School, had applied for registration in the school's name.

“Further investigation revealed that Mr. Chetry had allocated a part of the land to a non-tribal women’s society without consulting the village development committee. How can it be guaranteed that further land allocation will not be done secretly? Moreover, can a headmaster donate school land to someone else?” — Kahoto Sema questioned, adding, “We want a college in the name of Johovi Sema here.”

Also Read: Decades-Long Struggle Of Singphos In Their Own Land And A Viral Video