Students flay creation of Dima Hasao Raji

Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 25 2010: In the wake of the February 2010 recommendation for a solution to the North Cachar Hills district issue, by the Group of Ministers committee constituted by Assam Government in 2009, Delhi based Hmar Students' Association, Kuki Students' Organisation and Zeliangrong Students' Union, took out a protest rally against creation of a new district "Dima Hasao Raji".

The student protestors were apprehensive that such initiative from the Government will flare-up more violence in the already volatile situation of the NC hills.

Protestors demanded that the NC hills be bifurcated, if one Dima Hasao for Dimasas, then another for the remaining indigenous tribal communities, who constitute 57 percent of the population retaining the name of NC hills; that the GoM committee be scraped and the recommendation be declared null and void.



Members/volunteers of various student organisations take out a protest demonstration in New Delhi


In a press release, the student groups noted that the process of creation of the Dimasa homeland had resulted in major conflicts in 2003, 2005 and 2009 in the district.

It stated that the GoM is giving in to the demands of Dimasa armed groups and that the recommendation is for thwarting the design of the NSCN for greater Nagalim.

It further mentioned that an amount of Rs 1000 crore meant for development of NC hills was siphoned off, where the GoM committee members were allegedly involved.

It may be mentioned that in August 29, 2009, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had reportedly reviewed the law and order situation of NC hills with State officials.

Interacting with tribal community leaders the CM had assured them that under no circumstances Assam will be divided again and there will be no division of NC hills in the name of nomenclature dispute of the district.

Ethnic heartburn on NC Hills new name

UMANAND JAISWAL
Guwahati April 3: Call it decentralization of power, recognition of ethnic identity, or just a way of helping militants come overground with a face-saving measure — an essential element to avoid a backlash from the public who have suffered grevious losses while being led up the garden path with utopian promises — but the name of North Cachar Hills being changed to Dima Hasao yesterday through an Assam government notification could have ramifications of its own, including serious opposition to the move from other ethnic groups, including the Zemes and even the Nunisa faction of the Dima Halam Daogah (DHD).

The Dimasa community itself has tried to play it safe. Barring a few firecrackers, celebrations in the district were largely restrained through the day today, officials of the district administration said.

“That was done to reassure the other tribal communities in the region,” explained Dethang Naiding, president of the Jadikhe Naisho Hoshom (JNH), the apex body of the Dimasas, who had pressed for the name change, among others.

“We ourselves called up the police to keep an eye on our youth to ensure that no one goes overboard and hurts others’ sentiments. The change in name is merely symbolic. Fifty per cent of the unrest in the district would be taken care of by this welcome gesture of the government but we should not send out wrong signals to other communities which, I feel, are unnecessarily opposing the move. The clarifications couldn’t have come a day too soon.”

Jona Zeme, general secretary of the Zeme Council, told The Telegraph this evening that they had moved the Prime Minister as well as the Union home minister against the change in nomenclature.

“We have in our memorandum told them that they can go ahead with the move provided they bifurcate the district,” Zeme said.

The Zeme Council has now decided to hold a protest in Haflong and Guwahati on Monday against the move.

Added to this, the Indigenous People’s Forum, another group representing around 18 non-Dimasa communities, is planning to bring out a procession in Haflong to oppose the name change.

The coinage itself, it is understood, was a climbdown from Dima Hasao Raji, or “Kingdom of the Dimasas” which was originally proposed, something the government didn’t want to take a chance with given the presence of the other ethnic groups. Even the decision to settle for Dima Hasao, or “Dimasas of the Hills” came after the government was convinced by various groups that it would be difficult to stop militants of the dreaded Jewel Gorlosa group of the Dima Halam Daogah (DHD) from returning to the jungles unless the administration gave in to at least one of their main demands. Given the political stakes involved, the Dilip Nunisa faction of the DHD, which is in a ceasefire, has also come out in protest against the move, which it said was a case of “misplaced priorities”.

“Instead of restoring peace through negotiations, the government is concentrating on changing names,” said Dilip Nunisa, its chairman.

Not surprisingly, Dispur’s declaration yesterday too was a low-key affair — a two-line press note released in the evening.

Question is, will the government now succeed in preventing ethnic unrest (which, for example, the Zeme Council apprehends) in a region that is known to be volatile when it comes to matters of ethnicity.