Joint Action Committee on NC Hills formed in Delhi

New Delhi, March 20, 2010: The Indigenous Peoples Forum (IPF) from Assam’s North Cachar Hills Autonomous District Council, which has been spearheading the campaign to stop the re-naming of the district to Dima Hasao Raji, and several non-Dimasa student organisations have formed a ‘New Delhi Joint Action Committtee on NC Hills’ to chart out future strategy.

The March 18 meeting held at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus was attended by members from the IPF, Hmar Students’ Association, Zeliangrong Students Union and Kuki Students Organisation.

These student bodies have decided to support the IPF to organise a protest rally in New Delhi against the Assam cabinet decision to change the district name as per the wishes of the recently surrendered Dimasa militant group Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel Gorlosa). The Jewel Gorlosa faction which laid down arms on October 2, 2009 had demanded the change in nomenclature and has the support of the Dimasa community. But groups like the Zeme Nagas, the Hmars, Kukis and the Bietes are opposed to it.

The IPF had earlier rejected the Tarun Gogoi government decision to change the district name on the ground that the population ratio of the Dimasa community in the NC Hills which was just 43 per cent.

NC Hills is home to several non-Dimasa tribes belonging to the Chin-Kuki-Mizo group of people like the Hmars, Bietes, Hrangkhawls, Kukis, Lushais and others. Besides, there are also a large number of Naga tribes.