Assam: Tribal Sangha protests inclusion of eight communities in Assam’s Tirap tribal belt

The All Assam Tribal Sangha, Kokrajhar District Committee, staged a strong protest on Thursday against the Assam Government’s recent decision to expand the list of Protected Classes of Persons within the Tirap Tribal Belt by including eight additional communities.

During the demonstration, Sangha members burnt copies of the official government notification, demanding its immediate withdrawal. Leaders of the organisation described the decision as “anti-tribal”, warning that it posed a serious threat to the survival of the Aboriginal Scheduled Tribes for whom the belt was originally established.

The communities newly recognised as protected under the belt include Ahom, Matak, Moran, Chutia, Gorkha, Koch Rajbongshi, Tea Garden community, and Adivasi.

The notification, issued by the Revenue & Disaster Management Department and signed by Additional Chief Secretary Lamchonghoi Sweety Changsang, stated that the Governor of Assam had exercised powers under Sub-section (2) of Section 160 of Chapter X of the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation, 1886 (as amended) to grant the status with immediate effect.

The Tirap Tribal Belt, covering 62 villages and approximately 2,90,400 bighas of land under Margherita Revenue Circle, was originally created to safeguard the land rights of Aboriginal tribal communities. Tribal bodies now fear that the inclusion of new groups will dilute these protections and accelerate land alienation through encroachment and settlement by non-original tribes.

The Sangha reaffirmed its resolve to continue agitations until the government rolls back its notification.