Diphu: A joint sit-in protest against the ‘give and take’ policy of both the Assam and Meghalaya governments pertaining to the state boundary was held at the district headquarters of West Karbi Anglong in Hamren on Friday.
The protest was organised by Hills Tribal Confederation (HTC), hill chapter of the All Assam Tribal People Confederation (AAPTC), Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC), Karbi Nimso Chingthur Asong (KNCA), Karbi Anglong Rong Asar Amei (KARAA), Joint Co-ordination Committee for Protection of Autonomy (JCCPA) and Karbi Students Association (KSA).
Hamren is about 129 km from Diphu.
Khorsing Teron, Chief Convenor of Hills Tribal League, said that the protest was against the “constant aggression from Meghalaya to Karbi Anglong” and to ensure the life and property of people living in areas along the border with Meghalaya.
“Our first demand is the withdrawal of the committee headed by Minister Piyush Hazarika because, in our understanding, there is no dispute along the Karbi Anglong and Meghalaya boundary. The dispute is an invented one by a group with vested interest from Meghalaya. There was no dispute and there is no dispute along the border areas and that’s why we demand the withdrawal of the committee headed by Minister Piyush Hazarika from the regional committee constituted for give and take policy,” Teron said.
Teron further said, “We never asked the Khasi brothers to go to Meghalaya and not to live in Karbi Anglong, rather we have been living together with Khasi and Karbi since time immemorial and we will continue to live together in the days to come. The Khasi brothers living in Karbi Anglong should not be confused by the instigation of the vested interest group or miscreants from Meghalaya and we appeal we should live together peacefully the way we had been living from time immemorial.”
The group submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister of Assam through the Deputy Commissioner of West Karbi Anglong. The memorandum mentions six demands, including the safety and security of life and property in areas in West Karbi Anglong bordering Meghalaya, withdrawal of the committee headed by Minister of Water Resources Piyush Hazarika; punishing the culprit involved series of incidents that took place at Mothade (B), Am-Ih, Tadolangso and Rong Ningkreng, immediate relief and rehabilitation for the affected families, adequate security personnel in borders areas and to take special development scheme in the border areas, including construction of all-weather roads from the district headquarter.
Chief Convenor, AAPTC, Holiram Terang said, “It is known by all that Karbi Anglong, including the newly created West Karbi Anglong distrcit has well-defined boundaries as notified under Notification No.TAD/R/31/50/151, dated 13th April 1951. This has stood the test of subsequent constitutional amendments. Block I and II, the areas demarcated by the British before Independence, were included in the then Mikir Hills District by another Notification No. TAD/31/50/149, dated 13th April 1951. Both these notifications demarcating the boundaries have been validated during the formation of Meghalaya Autonomous State in 1970 and the State of Meghalaya in 1971. Therefore, there is no area to be given to or to be taken from Meghalaya.”
Terang also blamed the government and said the recent incidents that happened prove once again that the Assam Government and the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council have no interest to protect our land and our people. “They have abdicated their constitutional responsibilities,” he said.
They have failed in their bounded duty to protect the land and people of Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong. It is for the people now to remind the guardians of their duties and responsibilities, said Terang.
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The sit-in demonstration was attended by ASDC president Chandra Kanta Terang, Convenor HTC, Saising Rongpi; KARAA president Harsing Ronghang; JCCPA general secretary Rabindra Rongpi; KSA president Jemson Timung and KNCA general secretary Kajek Tokbipi.
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