Assam: Koch-Rajbongshi body demands separate statehood

DHUBRI: A team of All Assam Koch Rajbongshi Students’ Union (AKRASU) from Dhubri district today submitted a memorandum to state chief minister Himanta Bishwa Sarma demanding a separate state Kamatapur as well as the inclusion of the Koch-Rajbongshi community in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list.

In the communique, the AKRSU wrote that the Koch-Rajbonshis are one of Asia's indigenous peoples, belonging to the Mongoloid stock, who migrated across Asia during the Pre-Vedic and pre-historic periods.

The memorandum also stated that Koch Royal Heritages has continued to display the lost splendor of the Koch Rajbonshis, which have been neglected by the responsible authorities of the State and Central Government in terms of protecting and preserving these rich historical assets.

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Speaking to the media, the team from the AKRASU stated that their language is also regarded by many scholars as to the source language of Assamese and Bengali.

“It may be noted that the Government of Nepal has already recognized it and in Bangladesh similar process is going on and we demand the introduction of Rajbonshi language in primary level education in the Koch Rajbonshi dominated areas so that the children can obtain primary education in their mother tongue”, said district union President, Debojit Ray.

Worth mentioning is that the recently concluded Assam Assembly poll campaign of Bharatiya Janata Party promised to provide ST status to the Koch Rajbanshi community of the state if it comes to power.

It is also pertinent to mention that the state government has also recommended the inclusion of this tribe in the list of ST (P) on several occasions since 1993.

The community has been raising the demand before the Union Government for the last 40 years.

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