HT Correspondent
DIBRUGARH, Sept 2: Scores of members from various indigenous organisations gathered in Dibrugarh on Monday under the banner of the United Forum of Indigenous Organisations to demand the safeguarding of indigenous rights in Assam.
The massive demonstration saw participants marching through the streets, chanting slogans, and holding placards that called for immediate legislative action to protect their land and employment rights.
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The protesters put forth a list of demands, the foremost being a new land act that would prohibit the sale of land to non-indigenous people. Additionally, they called for land rights to be granted to all indigenous people of the state and 100 percent job reservation for indigenous people of the state.
“We have gathered here to voice our concerns and demand justice for the ‘Bhoomi Putras’ of Assam. We need a new land act that protects our ancestral lands from being sold to outsiders. Our land and resources are being systematically taken away from us by non-locals and corporations. The government should take steps to protect our rights and ensure that we are not marginalised in our own land. Job opportunities are scarce for indigenous people, and we are often overlooked in favour of those from outside our communities. We demand 100 percent job reservation for the indigenous people,” one of the protesters said.
Following the demonstration, a memorandum was sent to chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma through the district commissioner.
