Rengma Nagas are true sons of soil in Karbi Anglong, claims NSCN-IM

DIMAPUR: The NSCN (IM) today said the Karbi Students’ Association’s (KSA) reaction to its press statement on the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Territorial Council (KAATC) issue is befooling the people by being ignorant of their roots blinded by the “KAATC syndrome”.

In a release, the NSCN (IM) said the proposed KAATC ignored the legitimate rights of the Rengma Nagas, who are the true sons of the soil in Karbi Anglong.

“Historical references are available in plenty about the bona fide status of the Rengma Nagas, or for that matter about the Karbis in the socio-political melee of Assam history. Irrespective of tribe affiliation, the Rengma Nagas or Karbis, nobody can play fool with the well documented historical records,” the release stated.

The NSCN said the Government of India’s scheme of things as proposed under the controversial KAATC should find their support from historical legitimacy. According to it, simply to appease the Karbi militants at the cost of overlooking the indigenous Rengma Nagas will only complicate the matter.

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It said the KSA should study the issue from the credible historical perspective and not allow itself to be carried away by the unjustified generosity of the Government of India and Assam government in the good name of controlling Assam militants.

The NSCN said the KSA need to go deeper into the history books available in plenty to know where they stand and scrutinize themselves if their claim is supported by historical facts.

“The KSA should not dwell in their own make believe world without respecting or admitting the factual account of history,” it added.

The NSCN stated that the Karbis are immigrants from different places like Sivasagar, Nagaon, Cachar, Tezpur, Lakhimpur, Silchar and Khasi and Jaintia Hills during the British rule and hence cannot claim for themselves the status of original inhabitants.

It said the British rulers had declared the present Karbi Anglong areas as Rengma Naga Hills for the legitimate reason as they found the areas inhabited by the Rengma Nagas. It added the declaration came into effect vide 1841 Official Gazette.

“Whatever status the Karbis are enjoying now in the Rengma Naga Hills, it is all rooted in immigration from other places as mentioned here, courtesy the British Ruler,” the NSCN said.

The NSCN also advised the KSA to refer to some books on history such as Assamese history book, Rengma Naga Jonogosty Otit and Bortoman (which means - Rengma Naga History Past and Present, Book of the Year-1841, page no. 34) where the 52 villages of Rengmas were well recognised in the history, the book on the province of Assam written by A.J. Moffat Mills, page No. 216 and 217, (The Rengma Naga), Travel In Assam by John Bulter and North East Frontier of India by Alexander Mac Kenzie. The NSCN said going through these books will serve as guide books to know the roots of Karbis (Mikirs) in Assam history.

It also asked the KSA to go through the map detail on Rengma Hills: The year –1845–1846 and the year – 1848, 1875, and 1884.

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