HT DIGITAL
AGARTALA, AUGUST 21: A bandh of 48 hours in Margherita, Tinsukia district, has been declared by a tribal organisation coalition starting 5 a.m. on August 23. The protest is being launched prior to the visit of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on August 24 and is meant to protest the decision of the state government recently made regarding the Tirap Tribal Belt.
The bandh was announced by Margherita District Tribal Association, warning that it would be withdrawn only if Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to a meeting with the tribal communities. “We will withdraw it only if Prime Minister Modi agrees to meet us,” the association stated.
Related Posts:
The unrest is a result of the Assam cabinet’s August 18 move to grant protected class status to various non-tribal communities, which tribal people accuse of making room for outsiders in the Tirap Tribal Belt along Arunachal Pradesh border. The leaders say the action erodes land rights, imperils tribal identity, and may change the demographic landscape.
“We don’t take a stand against development, but we need to save tribal people’s land and identity,” a spokesperson for the Tribal Coordination Forum stated in a press meeting in both Margherita and Guwahati. It was added by leaders that the bandh would be exempted for essential services but warned that protests would become stronger if the government didn’t retreat from the decision.
The alliance has asked for a definitive written guarantee from the government, not an oral commitment, to protect the Tirap Tribal Belt. They have also requested formal talks with the Chief Minister’s Office and an in-depth discussion with Prime Minister Modi. “If the government cares about peace, it needs to give clarity,” said one of its representatives.
The tribal leaders blamed ministers for making “assurances but no intimation” in previous negotiations, prompting them to serve an ultimatum. They gave the state government until 5 p.m. on August 23 to reassert protection under current land laws publicly and suspend land transfers in the belt.
Upper Assam’s civil society organizations have been traditional opponents of policies perceived to erode safeguards for tribal belts and blocks. The Tirap Tribal Belt, covering areas of Tinsukia district, has been a repeated hotbed of controversy on issues of settlement and landownership.
Though the government has yet to issue any new notification, it was said that talks are on to pacify and prevent misunderstandings. The coalition, however, cautioned that in case a written guarantee and a negotiation process are not offered by August 22, they will impose the bandh in Margherita from August 23.
If the government hears us, we shall call off the bandh. Otherwise, we have no alternative but to proceed,” the coalition stated.
