Grand rally in support of ‘Dimaraji’ at Haflong(the Assam tribune)

HAFLONG, Aug 31 – To appeal to both the Governments and also the Dima Halam Daogah (under ceasefire), frontal organizations like the All Dimasa Students’ Union, Dimasa People’s Council, United People’s Federation of Assam and Co-ordination Committee of Dimaraji Movement organized a grand rally at Town Committee Field in Haflong on Monday.
In protest against the delaying tactics of the government to solve the ‘Dimaraji’ issue, several ADSU activists tonsured their heads in front of huge gathering.

Thousands of people from various parts of the proposed ‘Dimaraji’ area gathered here, and took out a procession from Town Committee field through the main town of Haflong and converged tat the Deputy Commissioner’s Office.

Deeply concerned over the ultimatum setting a deadline of October 2, 2010, set by the Dima Halam Daogah(DHD) for settlement of their demand for a separate State named Dimaraji in the face of a threat of going back to jungles to again take up arms, they submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister, through the Deputy Commissioner, Dima Hasao district. The memorandum stated that it had been a happy occasion on the part of the civil society to greet the signing of the ceasefire agreement by the DHD with the Government of India in 2003 by responding to and honouring the public opinion to abjure violence and that a peace process has, thereafter, been initiated by the government in order to arrive at a settlement.

Talks took place time and again, but no solution was in sight allegedly due to the dillydallying policy adopted by the government.

The appointment of PC Haldar by the Government of India as interlocutor for taking up the issue with the DHD could do little to thrash out the tangle. The Cabinet Sub-committee under the chairmanship of acting Chief Minister Bhumidhar Barman, constituted by the Government of Assam, has apparently turned to act contrary to the expectation of the DHD youths, now under cease-fire, giving them a good ground to feel themselves to be beguiled — a fact in which the government, perhaps, cannot shirk to own their responsibility.

In their considered view, the DHD youths have excellently held their patience by abiding by the ground rules and remaining confined to the four boundaries of their camps for seven long years, but it may not perhaps, be advisable to keep them confined for uncertain period in uncertainty, specially in consideration of their youthful age.

The ultimatum given by the DHD setting a deadline and the threat to go back to jungles to take up arms, in the event their demand not honourably settled within the deadline is indeed a matter of great concern to both the government and the civil society. It is apprehended that they will become more dreadful this time and may resort to striking frantically causing horrors ever more than before. Besides, the breaking of the ceasefire agreement will not only jeopardize the on-going peace process with the DHD but also lead to create adverse impact on other militant outfits of the North-east, now under cease-fire, complicating the entire peace process hitherto undertaken by the government to ease off the ills of the North-east as many other outfits may also lose their faith in their discussion with the government.

Therefore they humbly appealed to through the memorandum to take early action as they would deem fit and proper for honourable solution of this long standing problem in the best interest of the welfare of the tormented people of the proposed Dimaraji.