OUR CORRESPONDENT
SIVASAGAR: Protests led by various organizations are continuing in Sivasagar district, opposing the inclusion of 11 non-Mising villages into the Mising Autonomous Council (MAC). On October 14, 17 organizations held a strong protest in Sivasagar town, sending memorandum to Chief Minister and Chief Secretary, denouncing the alleged conspiracy to merge non-Mising majority areas of Sivasagar and Dhemaji districts into the council.
In response to the protest, leaders from the protesting groups participated in a government hearing on Tuesday at the Demow Revenue Circle office, where Circle Officer Pritom Das took their testimonies. During the hearing, Janardan Baruah, a leader of the historic Kowamara Xatra, stated that the region has only a small Mising population, while over 70% of the inhabitants are from non-Mising communities who have lived there since the Ahom era. He accused the Mising Autonomous Council of using political power to conspire and annex the larger non-Mising areas into the council, adding that the public is now aware of this injustice.
Rudraprasad Giri, president of the Non-Mising Association, said that they had protested earlier on the same issue and had submitted a hearing at the Demow Revenue Circle office. He also mentioned that some individuals from the Mising community had issued warnings and threats to not protest in the future. Giri further alleged that a person named Paresh Mahesh had even issued death threats on social media.
Representatives from various communities, including the Gorkha Students’ Union, voiced similar concerns. President Katiram Rizal expressed fears of insecurity after receiving threats for opposing the council’s expansion. Gorkha Association President Pradip Lama affirmed that their constitutional rights would be defended at any cost, stating that they would not succumb to political pressure.
Ranjit Borgohain, president of Demowmukh Majumelia Sanmilita Pratibadi Mancha, said that the people of the region have coexisted peacefully since the Ahom era, and they demand mutual respect and equality for all communities. He emphasized that they will not allow their future generations to be treated as second-class citizens under the Mising Autonomous Council.
During the hearing, Monirul Islam Bora, executive president of the Ujoni Asom Muslim Kalyan Parishad, reiterated that they cannot allow the inclusion of 11 non-Mising villages such as Kowamora Handique, Kordoiguri, Koibarta Doloni, Demowmukh, Alisiga, Boloma Koibarta, Ajarbari, Ligiribari, and others into the Mising Autonomous Council. He recalled that during a similar protest in 2013, then-Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had assured that these non-Mising villages would not be included in the council, following intense protests in Sivasagar.
The protest leaders demanded a clear decision from the government, calling for the scrapping of any plans to include non-Mising majority areas in the council. They also demanded that the next round of talks be held in the presence of the Sivasagar District Commissioner and Minister Dr Ranoj Pegu, under the direct intervention of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to resolve the issue.
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