HT Correspondent
KHERONI, June 11: The Karbi Anglong District Committee of the All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA) has submitted a five-point memorandum to the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, urging urgent intervention on longstanding demands of the Adivasi community in Assam.
The memorandum calls for the immediate implementation of Clause 1.1 of the Adivasi Peace Accord, granting of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to Adivasis in Assam, issuance of free land pattas to Adivasis residing in Karbi Anglong, construction of a model senior secondary school at Lahorijan Tea Estate without political interference, protection of Adivasi political rights in Sixth Schedule areas after the 125th Constitutional Amendment, and safeguarding Lahorijan and Nirmal Kumar Tea Estates from encroachment and land grabbing.
Speaking during the submission, Anil Toppo, Chief Advisor of AASAA’s central committee, warned against the continued neglect of Adivasi rights and alleged land encroachments.
Related Posts:
Toppo stressed the community’s historical roots in the region, stating, “We have been living here since before the inception of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council. We are bonafide indigenous people of this land, yet we continue to live like tenants on our own soil.”
He also criticised successive governments for what he described as the systematic neglect of Adivasi interests.
“Since India’s independence, our people have been deprived of basic infrastructure—roads, schools, healthcare, safe drinking water, and access to government schemes. The promises made to us have remained unfulfilled for decades,” he said.
The memorandum was officially received by the Executive Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Officer (Civil), Bokajan.
Reaffirming its commitment to peaceful democratic movements, AASAA warned that if the community’s demands continue to be ignored, it will be forced to resort to mass agitation.
