Skip to content Skip to navigation

Non-Dimasas demand separate council

Assam government’s dubious decisions and bias actions are giving birth to new problems for the
peaceful citizens of the state day by day. The Dimasa dominated North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council
had earlier in the year 2008 demanded to change the name of the district after the Dimasa. The district’s
Non-Dimasa people raised their voice against this demand. They formed a new platform to protest by
the name of Indigenous Peoples’ Forum (IPF).
The Government of Assam bowed down before the tyrannical demand of DHD(J) to change the districts
name as Dima Hasao on March 30,2010 in the backdrop of the rupees thousand crore scam in the
district, said IPF General Secretary, Ngaidam Puruolte, while addressing the media persons in Guwahati
on October 30,2012.
He said that the N C Hills Autonomous District Council was formed in 1952 with a view to bring about
all round development to the various backward Hill Tribal people of the N C Hills district. At the time of
its inception of the Council there were six (6) members from Dimasa community and an equal number
of non-Dimasa communities. The agreement among the leaders of that time was reached that if the
lone member of the state Assembly is Dimasa, the Chief Executive Member (CEM )of the Council would
be a non-Dimasa and vice versa. Accordingly, a Dimasa, J B Hagzer was the first MLA from the district
and a Hmar Chawnhau Khawthlang became the first CEM of the Council. However, this agreement
could not last for long and Chawnhau Khawthlang remained the first and last CEM from the non-Dimasa
community.
There were delimitations of the MDC constituencies to the council in the years 1967 and 1978 in which
the number of the Dimasa members was increased from 6 to 15 and that of Non Dimasas from 6 to 8
only. After these delimitations, the Dimasas applied their policy of dominating the Council. On the other
hand, the innocent non-Dimasas remained unaware of their hidden designs and were satisfied to remain
peaceful under communal harmony, Puruolte said.
He alleged that the Dimasas through their students’ organization, the Dimasa Students’ Union
(DSU) raised slogans as ‘Cachar for Kacharis’ and’ N C Hills for Dimasas’ and claimed that 90 percent
reservation of all government jobs and other facilities for the Dimasas in early 1980s. At this point,
the non-Dimasas could know about their evil designs and to fight against it they formed a non-Dimasa
platform called All Tribal Integrated Committee (ATIC). A rift between Dimasas and non-Dimasas
emerged in the history of NC Hills‘ politics from that time, the IPF leaders explained.
The Dimasas in their attempt to turn the district into exclusively theirs, tried to change the name of the
district after the word Dimasa into Dima Halali in 2001.The non-Dimasas also to counter their move
formed a forum in the name of Indigenous Tribes Front (ITF). Due to strong opposition the proposal for
the change of name of the district was dropped.
Afterwards, the Dimasas switched over to ethnic cleansing policy. In their attempt to oust other tribes
one by one from the district started waging ethnic clashes with the help of the DHDs against the Hmar
in 2003, against the Karbis in 2005 and against the Zeme Nagas in 2009. By this the Dimasas dominated
over the N C Hills Autonomous Council and tried to change district’s name and ultimately succeeded
by signing a peace accord for Dima Hasao Territorial Council by both factions of Dimasas through a
tripartite agreement with Government of India and Assam government on October 8,2012. The N C Hills
district was renamed by ‘force’ Dima Hasao on March 30,2010, the IPF alleged.
It may be mentioned in this connection that Dima Hasao district has 35 percent population of Dimasas
according to electoral rolls of 2008. However, considering all the facts non-Dimasas are disappointed
and feel that there is no chance for survival of non-Dimasa communities in Dima Hasao district and
therefore they demand for creation of a separate non-Dimasa Autonomous District for them. The non-
Dimasas argument is that if for 35 percent population of Dimasas an autonomous district could be
constituted there is no harm in constituting an autonomous council for 65 percent non-Dimasas. Their

demand is to give them a home land where they can live in peace, IPF leaders said.

Comments

panjit's picture

I respect the view of IPF leader that he has expressed his concern for the non-dimasa. It sad to put here that with the little dubious knowledge of the with the records of old history,may not be much helpful for both the communities.Dimasas has never neglected any other tribe or by any means. Even today you can see many dimasa people and villages don't get the rights and prevailages that you people living in the headquater of district town get.I am sure other tribes don't have many villages that dimasa villages have. These dimasa people of far village did not understand the dirty politics you leaders play in the name of coummunity,religion and creed.Have you ever exprienced the pain of the innocent people they suffer when they are affected because of your misleading leaders be it dimasa or hmar. As an educated leader will never lead his people in the darkness of route. Stop blaming only dimasa and dimasa.Just because of few hungry politician go wild for their pocket duty dosen't mean that everybody is guilty here. Just keep blaming and saying dimasa and non-dimas it has become a poison noise to every dimasa or people and for these may have to pay heavy to both the communities.

Pages

Add new comment

Random Stories

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit IFAW-WTI’s Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation, interact with orphaned elephants and rhinos, and paint an elephant with schoolchildren.

A Royal Couple, Orphaned Animals and a Painted Elephant

14 Apr 2016 - 10:03am | Subhamoy Bhattacharjee
Their Royal Highnesses William and Catherine, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, this afternoon visited IFAW-WTI’s Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) near Kaziranga National...

Armyman injured in NDFB-S attack

29 Aug 2014 - 2:32pm | AT News
Army jawans had a narrow escape in Chirang district when suspected NDFB(S) militants lobbed a powerful grenade on Friday. The incident took place in the wee hours at the Panbari army camp located in...

Ten injured in Chabua train mishap

27 Dec 2012 - 10:16am | editor
At least ten persons have been injured when a local train collided with a railway engine in Dibrugarh district on Wednesday. The incident took place at M E S Tiniali area near Chabua town of the...

Tourists killed in road mishap

25 Jan 2018 - 12:39am | AT News
TINSUKIA: At least seven people were feared dead and five others sustained injury when the vehicle carrying them slipped into a deep gorge in Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday. The incident took place...

Other Contents by Author

The Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi had expressed his views on the importance of 'healthy work culture' in the Harijan newspaper of 15th October,1938, emphasizing on hard work by the people of the country for attaining the goal of freedom. He dared to declare that 'declaring his birthday as a holiday should be treated as a cognizable offence'. This was a clear indication that the 'Great Soul' was confident of the might of his people, which later on succeeded in bringing freedom to the country. His experiments on Swadeshi movement brought good results. But it seems that the present situation has completely changed the whole thing and Mahatma’s dreams are shattered.Unfortunately, with...
The most respected and appreciated growth of the print media in Assam and particularly in Guwahati, for more than a decade seems to have taken a destructive path giving birth to a trend of malice among the communities they belong. It is now being used for personal grudge among the so called high profile people in the society.Since most of the media houses are controlled by major business houses, it has been noticed that they have themselves become news for last few months through their own acts and publication. Recently, it has been noticed that a few vernacular news papers defying all the ethics of journalism, have started mudslinging on their rivals for quite some time. Knowing it very...
Since the year 1989, Guwahati, the gateway to the north eastern India, has seen a mushroom growth in the Fourth Estate with entry of a number of newspapers and periodicals in various languages. Earlier, a few English and Assamese newspapers were published in Guwahati.  For getting the major and detailed news, the people had to wait till evening for newspapers from Delhi and Kolkata. No doubt the haphazard growth in the print media gave an opportunity to a large number of unemployed educated youths to join this challenging profession of prestige. With the information technology witnessing development at fast pace, the media houses failed to get the competent and trained workforce to...
India’s Lok Sabha polls in 2014, has brought a significant change in political scenario of the country after a decade’s rule of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government led by the century old Indian National Congress (INC). Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has come to power after ten years’ of struggle under the leadership of Narendra Modi, former chief minister of Gujarat. Although the BJP has got absolute majority in the polls, it has kept its flock together giving all the pre-poll alliance members their due share in the administration. The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has assured the countrymen of fair deal in the interest of all sections of the...
Problem-torn state of Assam for several years is now passing through a critical situation on which the Congress Party-led state government seems to have turned deaf ears and eyes-shut, despite hectic efforts of local people, NGOs and media covering the news from each and every corner of the state. The party in power for last thirteen years is divided among several factions contesting to gain maximum benefit out of the prevailing situation. The entire state is running under serious violence related to burning houses of inmates, murder, theft, communal hatred, abduction, indecent behavior against womenfolk and aged persons, but the administration is standstill. Criminals are active and have...
Ignoring their leaders directive Reang refugees from various Tripura camps are moving to their homeland in Mizoram in disguise. For about fifteen years of hardship in various refugee camps of Tripura, the evacuated people from their homes seem to have lost confidence in their leaders, who did not agree to return to their homeland despite several proposals for their safe return to their state. A recent media report says that so far 631 people belonging to 124 families have returned to their homes under disguise. However, according to Tripura government sources only 178 members of 27 families have gone so far. Thousands of Reangs were driven out of their homes due to conflicts with Mizo...
Failures of Congress Party in the state of Assam during recently concluded Lok Sabha polls has shattered the dreams of state chief minister, Tarun Gogoi, who had promised before the Congress high command to win more than half of the total seats for his party. The state has 14 parliamentary seats, out of which Congress could get 3 (three) seats only. The ‘courageous’ chief minister did not lose heart even at this defeat. The defeat led the Congress party in turmoil and some legislators of the party revolted against the leader of the House and demanded change in the leadership. The chief minister refused to bow down on the demands of those who desired the appointment of a new leader to lead...
India claims to be the largest democratic country in the world. In a country where majority of people do not get proper education about their status other than to vote for a political party or an individual on the basis of their ‘vague assurances’ to look into their welfare being in power only does not carry any meaning. India’s constitution provided specific conditions to educate the people within shortest time after independence, so that they could be in position to think about right or wrong policies of the government and raise their voice against the ‘evil designs’ of their destiny makers. The constitution has been amended hundred times, but the people in general could not be benefitted...
Will power has an important role in human life and those who have stamina to fight all odds, set an example for others to follow for a successful life. Even disability can be defeated if a person has determination to lead a peaceful life. We find a number of cases in the world when people lose heart on their failures in life. At the same time there are certain exceptions, who despite many odds in their life make it worth living by their strong will power. Here is an example of the life of a person who came out from a small village of Siyani Belchhi in the district of Jamui in Bihar. Born on January 2,1952, Rakesh Pathak became a handicap suffering from paralysis in his right leg at his...
The election process for the 16th Lok Sabha in India is going on full swing and by the middle of May 2014, the  complete picture of winning candidates would come out. The reign of the country for the next five years would go in the hands of mostly new faces. As there is a ‘good crop’ of leaders spreading throughout the 29 states and seven Union territories having a number of political parties spread throughout the country facing different administrative, natural and environmental problems, the election results are not likely to go for a single party rule. Speculations are on the air that post poll polarization of political forces may take place just after the final poll results are...