Assam: Adivasi students' body challenges ABSU's claims over village inclusion in BTR

The All Adivasi Students' Association of Assam (AASAA) has submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister of Assam, raising concerns about the recent application submitted by the All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU) Sonitpur District Committee. 

According to the AASAA, ABSU had requested the non-inclusion of certain villages under the Panchayat Raj system and proposed the inclusion of contiguous villages into the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), as per Clause 3.1 of the BTR Accord of 2020.

AASAA contends that ABSU's claims, particularly the assertion that some villages inhabited by Adivasis and other non-tribal communities are 100 per cent Bodo-populated, are baseless and lack any grounding in reality. Specifically, the memorandum highlights the following key points and demands:

AASAA references the expansion of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) as per the BTR Accord, 2020, and a Cabinet decision from September 12, 2023, which approved the inclusion of 41 villages from Biswanath district into the BTR. On September 12, 2024, 19 more villages were approved for inclusion, with Urahiloga, Bogijuli, and Amloge Pothar (No. 182) being among them. These villages are densely populated by Adivasis, and AASAA demands a written explanation from ABSU on why these areas are claimed to be exclusively Bodo-populated.

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AASAA points out that several other villages in Sonitpur district, including Jugibil, Doyalpur, Pochim Tengabil, Sonajuli, Borbil Morioni, and others, are also densely populated by Adivasis and non-tribal communities. Yet ABSU claims that these villages have no other communities apart from the Bodos. AASAA demands a written explanation from ABSU and the district administration on this issue.

AASAA further requests that ABSU or the administration provide population data for the aforementioned villages from before 1996, using voter lists from elections to the Legislative Assembly. This data is requested to verify ABSU's claims about the population composition of these villages.

AASAA stresses the importance of withholding ABSU's application and conducting a thorough examination of the claims. They also call for a clear discussion among villagers to address the alleged inaccuracies in the data provided by ABSU.