Fall out of CAA : Assam eyes laws for indigenous rights

Guwahati, Dec 22
Amid protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Assam Cabinet on Saturday approved a slew of measures, including making the Assamese language mandatory in all schools and a law to protect land rights of the indigenous people.
“In the coming Assembly session, the State Government will bring in two new laws. The first would be for securing land rights for the indigenous people. Once the new law is enforced, the land of the khilonjiya (indigenous) people will not be transferred to non-indigenous people,” said Himanta Biswa Sarma after a Cabinet meeting.
A crucial aspect of the new law would be the definition of indigenous people. Sarma said a committee constituted to implement Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, which provides for Constitutional and legislative safeguards to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people, would define the indigenous people.
Assam has been rocked by unrest over the CAA, which proposes to fast-track Indian citizenship for members of religious minorities from the Muslim-majority countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The law has triggered concern in the State that an influx of refugees could dilute local ethnic identity.
The committee to implement Clause 6, according to its members, is currently talking to stakeholders to arrive at a cut-off date to define “indigenous tribal, indigenous Assamese and other indigenous people of Assam” and suggest protective measures for them. “Otherwise, we have readied a definition of our own. If the report is delayed, we have a definition of our own,” Sarma said without elaborating.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had told reporters last week that the committee has been asked to submit its report soon.
A senior State Government official said that apart from protected areas under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, the State also has a system of tribal belts and blocks under the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation which regulates buying, selling and transfer of land.
The move follows the Government’s announcement of a new land policy in October, which proposed to impose restrictions on sale of land to non-indigenous people.
Sarma said the second law would deal with preserving the land surrounding the heritage sites of Assam, including the Xatras and the Vaishnavite monasteries. In order to assuage the concerns of tribal groups, Sarma said the State Government would request the Centre to grant Constitutional status to tribal autonomous councils of Mising, Rabha, Sonowal Kachari, Thengal Kachari, Deori and Tiwa communities. This, he said, would enable them to get financial assistance from the Centre.
To protect the local language, Sarma said the Cabinet would request the Centre to declare Assamese as a State language. “The State Government is going to request the Centre to amend Article 345 of the Constitution to make Assamese the State language. This may not be applicable in Barak Valley (Bengali-speaking majority), Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) area and in Hill districts,” he said.
“Assamese will be a compulsory subject in all English, Hindi and Bengali schools, upto class 10,” Sarma said clarifying that this provision, too, will not be applicable in BTAD, Hill districts and Barak Valley.
Ripun Bora, the president of the State unit of the Congress and a Rajya Sabha MP, said, “The Government is trying to confuse the people. There are enough protections for the Assamese as State language in the State laws. On the question of land, the protections that they are proposing in the law may not be viable without Constitutional provisions.”
Monirul Hussain, Chair Professor, Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research, Jamia Millia Islamia University, said, “The question of identity and language in Assam is very complex and sensitive. We have to wait and see how the situation evolves and how people react to these moves. Also, how do you define who is indigenous? It will be difficult for the Clause 6 committee to arrive at the universally accepted definition especially when you are negotiating with multiple identities. The question needs wide discussion and consensus.”
The Cabinet also decided to request the Government of India that a Bodo Peace Accord be concluded speedily, according to a statement from Sonowal’s office.
Meanwhile, protests against the CAA continued in the State on Saturday and thousands of women hit the streets in various parts against the new law.
Courtesy Hindustan Times