Rift over bid to change name of North Cachar Hills district

“When the district was formed way back in 1952 ,the government had taken leaders of all ethnic groups into confidence. Last year,however,the NCHAC passed this resolution almost by force,pushing all the non-Dimasa communities into a state of insecurity,” claimed Josias Jeme,president,Indigenous People’s Forum (IPF),a body formed in the wake of the resolution passed in May 2008.

The IPF chief also saw in the resolution a design to uproot the non-Dimasas from the district,and claimed that the Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC),Jadikhe Naiso Hosom (the apex body of the Dimasa tribals) and the underground group Black Widow were all one in this respect.

“We strongly believe that the ASDC,which had won the Council elections in 2007,are hand in glove with the Black Widow and that the Council passed this resolution to change the nomenclature at the outfit’s behest. The JNH too supports this,” the IPF president said.

Interestingly,Mohit Hojai,chief executive member,NCHAC,under whose leadership the move to change the name was made,is currently under arrest for having allegedly provided funds to the Black Widow group to purchase arms.

He also refers to a move by the NCHAC to declare the Barail range as a wildlife sanctuary as part of this “design” to uproot the non-Dimasa tribes. “Once the Barail range is declared a wildlife sanctuary,then a large number of Zeme,Kuki and Hmar tribals will be uprooted from their own land,” Jeme said.

The Dimasa leaders,however,dismiss the claim of the IPF and non-Dimasa tribes as unfounded. “We do want renaming the district as Dima Hasao Raji. There are historical reasons behind it. If the adjoining district can be renamed as Karbi Anglong after the Karbi tribe,if a Bodoland Territorial Council can be created,then what is the problem in renaming this district after the majority tribe?” asked D Naiding,president of the Jadikhe Naiso Hosom (JNH),the apex body of the Dimasa tribals.