UTC debate | Non-Bodo orgs call for Assam Bandh on Monday

Guwahati, November 18, 2018:

Despite the clarification by Assam Police, All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU), National Democratic Front of Boroland-Progressive  (NDFB-P) and People's Joint Action Committee for Boroland Movement (PJACBM) on the Union Territorial Council (UTC) debate, the Assam Bandh scheduled on November 19 called in protest against the UTC is still on.

It may be mentioned that several non-Bodo organisations including the All Koch Rajbongshi Students' Union (AKRSU) and the Abodo Suraksha Samiti (ABSS) called for an Assam Bandh on November 19 in order to protest against the reports of upgradation of the Bodoland Territorial Administrative Districts (BTAD) into an UTC.

AKRSU general secretary Gokul Barman said, “The decision of UTC has been made without taking any consent of the other communities living in the BTAD. The whole issue seems to be a political conspiracy by the BJP as they have a plan to pass the Citizenship (Amendent) Bill, 2016.”

He added that the government made the decision to form the UTC in a very short time but they never had any discussions with the organisations which were demanding Kamatapur. “If one looks at surveys dated back to the 1983, they will find that Koch Rajbongshis are more deprived in BTAD then the Bodos. The Koch-Rajbongshis did not even get the ST status but the much upgraded Bodos were given”, he added.

Barman said that the BTAD was for actually imposed on the people living in those area. People opposed the formation of the BTAD.

He further added, “We can clearly see that the non-Bodos are not safe in the BTAD. They even tried to take the land rights of the non-Bodos living in BTAD but after the protest by AKRSU, the attempt somewhat faded. If the UTC is formed then all the communities except the Bodos will be completely deprived of land rights.”

However, ABSU president Promod Boro speaking on the issue said, “The UTC debate is nothing but an ill designed and fabricated news, there is no official statement made either from the government of India or from the movement groups (ABSU, NDFB-P and PJACBM). It is totally baseless and no authenticity. It is observed that some of the media highlighted it without any authentic source.”