12 Hours Bandh Called in Karbi Anglong on July 25

Diphu, July 24, 2019:

The Hill State Demand Committee (HSDC), Karbi Nimso Chingthur Asong (KNCA), Karbi Students' Union (KSA), along with 16 other organisations have called a 12 hours bandh in Karbi Anglong on July 25, 2019 to protest against the reply of BJP Minister Reddy to the question posed by MP Horensing Bey on the statehood issue of Karbi Anglong. This was declared during a press conference at the HSDC office at the Lumding road on Tuesday.

The KNCA president Protima Enghipi said that a total of 19 organisations issued the call to observe a 12-hours bandh from 5:00 am to 5:00 pm to protest against the central BJP state home minister’s remark, in which she said that the government of India has no plans to create Autonomous State at present.

She also stated that hospitals, schools, colleges and water supply are exempted from the bandh.

One of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies of Assam, the Autonomous District seat is reserved for the Scheduled Tribes and comprises two Karbi-dominated districts of Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong, as well as Dima Hasao, dominated by the Dimasa tribe.

As per the sixth schedule, which is the constitutional provision for special governance mechanisms in tribal areas of the North-east, two autonomous councils govern the region — the KAAC (which looks after the two Karbi dominated districts) and the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (which looks after Dima Hasao).

The demand for autonomy as a state within a state, under Article 244 (A) of the Constitution, has been around since 1986, a year after the Assam Accord was signed by Assam movement leaders and the then Centre, over illegal immigrants.

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