Duliajan, Sept 12: The Indigenous Forum, Assam, has opposed the reported move to use 1951 as the base year for identifying indigenous people of Assam, arguing that the criterion could undermine constitutional safeguards for the State’s indigenous communities.
In a statement issued on Friday, the forum said recent remarks by Assam Chief Minister on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord and the recognition of “indigenous” or “Assamese” people with 1951 as the cut-off year were “dangerous and detrimental” to the interests of indigenous communities.
Represented by president Mrinal Hazarika, working president Ratan Kachari and general secretary Pranjal Deori, the organisation said Clause 6 of the Assam Accord referred to constitutional safeguards for “Assamese people” and did not specifically define or refer to “indigenous people”. It argued that the two terms could not be treated as synonymous.
The forum said that when the Assam Accord was signed in 1985, “Assamese” was broadly understood to include Assamese-speaking people settled in the region before British rule as well as Assam’s indigenous tribal communities. Migrant communities, it said, were generally identified separately by their linguistic or ethnic backgrounds.
It also questioned whether the report prepared by the Justice Biplab Sarma Committee on implementation of Clause 6 had been formally accepted by the Government of India. If the report had not received statutory approval, the forum questioned how it could be used as the basis for determining indigenous status with 1951 as the cut-off year.
The organisation further claimed that the Justice Biplab Sarma Committee report did not conclusively recommend 1951 as the base year. Referring to Section 4.1 on page 25, it said the report recorded differing views, including those favouring 1951 and 1826.
The forum urged the government not to take unilateral decisions on an issue it said could have far-reaching consequences for Assam’s indigenous communities. It instead called for implementation of the Brahma Committee’s recommendations, particularly on securing land rights for indigenous people.
It also called for internationally recognised definitions of indigenous peoples to be considered while framing constitutional safeguards in Assam. The forum argued that communities living in present-day Assam before colonial rule should be identified and provided constitutional protection.
The organisation questioned whether migrant communities from other parts of India and neighbouring countries faced an existential threat in Assam, arguing that indigenous communities were facing greater pressure over their demographic and land rights.
The forum also urged the Assam government to prioritise genuinely indigenous people of the State while distributing land under the Basundhara scheme.
