Bishnupriya Manipuris demand autonomous council, submits memorandum to CM

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Bishnupriya Manipuri Autonomous Council Demand Committee (BMACDC) submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister on Tuesday demanding a Bill in the coming Winter Session of the Assam Legislative Assembly for creation of Bishnupriya Manipuri Autonomous Council (BMAC) in the State.

The Committee stated that the Bishnupriya Manipuri community in Assam has a sizable number of population. Most of them are living in three districts of Barak Valley and scattered in the districts of Dima Hasao, Nagaon, Morigaon, Kamrup, Karbi Anglong, Tinsukia, and Jorhat. The memorandum stated that the community is socially, economically and educationally backward.

"In the year 1996, after 10 years of bloodshed Language Movement, the Assam government issued a notification for the inclusion of the community in the State list of OBCs (Other Backward Castes) of Assam. We have since long been deprived from the status of Central OBC," the memorandum stated.

Further, the body stressed that various organizations of the Bishnupriya Manipuri community have been agitating for the Central OBC status. But the State and the Central governments have been unable to provide them the status of Central OBC till date, the BMACDC added.

The Committee underlined that the students and youths have been deprived from getting Central government jobs and admission in Central government educational institutions. In this regard, the Bishnupriya Manipuri Autonomous Council Demand Committee has taken up a series of agitational programmes to raise their demands.

According to the memorandum, the body will stage Moshal Mishil in different areas in the three districts of Barak Valley on October 28. Later on November 2, they will stage a hunger strike in front of Deputy Commissioner's office in Cachar, Silchar. It will also stage a hunger strike in from of Assam Secretariat during the Winter Session in November.

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