Indigenous People’s Forum Says No to Change in Dimasa Nomenclature

Silchar, Feb 18 : Members of the Indigenous People’s Forum (IPF), a non Dimasa body, has strongly condemned the decision of the Assam Government to change the nomenclature of NC Hills at a Cabinet meeting.

The IPF secretary, on behalf of the forum, sought clarification from the Assam state Government in a press release regarding the grounds based on which it has decided to form an ethnic homeland for the Dimasa community with the existing boundary of NC Hills.

The IPF secretary stated in the release that the decision to change the nomenclature of the NC Hills was earlier rejected by the Cabinet subcommittee on grounds of population ratio of the Dimasa community in the NC Hills which was 43 per cent.

The release further said the IPF, on several occasions, reiterated that the existing boundary of NC Hills encircled the ancestral land of different hill tribes and it would be blatant violation of human rights on part of the Assam Government if the whole district was given to a single community ignoring the interest and grievances of others.

It was also stated by IPF that NC Hills district was never a kingdom of the Dimasas and that their population was very low compared to other hill tribes. They became a single majority only during the post independence period through manipulation of their population by taking the advantage of the Autonomous Council, it stated.

The IPF, through the release, also questioned if the Tarun Gogoi Government would agree to form a Muslim State if their population becomes a majority. Will not the people of Assam talk about the Assamese heritage if this ever happens?

The IPF wanted to know whether Dima Hasao Raji was a reward to the DHD (J) for surrendering arms to the Government. Rs 90 crore was also diverted from the Council’s exchequer and siphoned off to the coffer of the DHD militants for purchasing arms, the IPF alleged and added that now their ancestral land was being arbitrarily confiscated to reward them ignoring the interest of the indigenous people of the NC Hills.

Tarun Gogoi and his cabinet will be blamed for any eventuality for non-revocation of the Cabinet decision on changing the district’s name in the Dimasa centric socio-political interest, the release continued.