HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, April 10:Several hundred students and youth of Amri Karbi community on Wednesday marched towards Raj Bhawan here seeking a separate Autonomous district “Amri Longri” comprising parts of Morigaon, Nagaon and Sonitpur districts of Assam under Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India.
“We are different from the Chinthong and the Ranghang Karbis. We want the government to create an autonomous district for preserving our royal heritage,” Amri Karbi National Council (AKNC) president Padum Ingti said in a memorandum submitted to Governor Jagdish Mukhi here.
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Ingti said the Amri Karbis had a separate identity during the 18th century and they were ruled by their own tribal kings during the Ahom regime.
“We have a population of over 4 lakh in the state. Most of them are in Kamrup Metro and Rural districts,” he said. They also demanded inclusion of Amri Karbi Tribes in Schedule Tribes (ST-H) list of Assam.
The proposed Autonomous Council would be set up carving out areas from the seven districts of Assam – Kampur, Morigaoan, Golaghat, Sunitpur, Nagaon, Cachar and Dubri.
There are about five lakh members of this tribe who were denied ST status even after 70 years of independence of the country, while others such as the Chinthong and Ronghang had been included in this category.
Accusing the government of not taking care of them, the memorandum said, “We should not be clubbed with the Karbis of Karbi Anglong. We have a district identity. There should a separate Autonomous Council exclusively for the Amri Karbis. A development council cannot fulfill our requirements.”
The organisation also urged the Governor to stop the proposed Assam Rifles camp at Domora Pathar under Dimoria Tribal Block.
It also urged to stop Guwahati Municipal area expansion towards Dimoria Tribal Block and Rani Tribal Block and said it would threat the existence of the tribal belts and blocks in the Kamrup district.
The AKNC demanded constitutional protection to tribal belts and tribal block across the state.
The memorandum also demanded the government for granting ST (H) status to Amri Karbi community by implementing Article 342 in the Constitution of India.
The memorandum further demanded implement the resolutions resolved in the meeting between Assam government and six organisations of Amri Karbi Six presided over by WPT & BC minister.
