Sinlung /
06 June 2010

Dimasa Mothers Try To Justify Renaming NC Hills

nchills assam Sinlung Says: Dimasas as everyone is aware are trying to re-write History. History contains facts and fiction. But it will be facts that stand the test of time. Hmars, Kukis, Zemes and all other inhabitants of NC Hills cannot be displaced with mere mentioning of Dimasa kings which no one recalls or we may call them myths.

It is for all to see that the new name of North Cachar Hills District of Assam was sold and bought using corruption, which the CBI is still investigating.

This is what Dimasa mouthpiece ‘The Sentinel Assam’ had to say- wondered if this is a News article or a propaganda machine.

Anyway…everyone knows the truth…let NC Hills bifurcation happen before more bloodshed happens…Are you listening Assam Govt?

Silchar, Jun 6 : Dimasa Mothers’ Association (DMA) recollects and recreates historical background to claim that the Dimasas were the earliest settlers of the district. There was no other tribe or community except some short statured Simi people who lived in caves.

Confronted by the soldiers of Dimasa king, they left the forested area. Swaruprani Hagjer, publicity secretary of DMA, added to say that the Kukis and Hmars were the same tribe who came from the neighboring States of Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram.

Hmars, she clarified, came to be known as a separate tribe after 1955-57 with the arrival of the Kukis sometime in the 19th century in the district.

The first chief executive member of the then district council, CH Khotlang, was a Kuki and not Hmar who was elected from the Kuki inhabited constituency of Khunglong in 1952.

He agreed to become chief executive member on the advice of Joybhadra Hagjer, the then MLA, who was later inducted as a Cabinet Minister in Assam. On the other hand, the Zeme Nagas came to the districts after being attacked by the Angamis and they sought shelter of the Dimasa king to which he agreed and they became his subjects.

The Dimasa king even offered them some Dimasa titles in order to maintain cordial relations. According to her, the Dimasas are the earliest settlers and renaming the district as Dima Hasao was done on the basis of historical background.

Why should the minority tribes like Kuki, Hmar and Zeme Naga oppose the changed nomenclature of the district?

Why don’t they want to live in peaceful coexistence with Dimasas?

Why should they feel discriminated and neglected when they are treated equally and on just terms’ Swaruparani Hagjer asked.

The Indigenous People’s Forum and Indigenous Students’ Forum, she pointed out, alleged that the Dimasas are not a hill people. She countered to say that one has to go through historical records in order to find out the fact that the Dimasas have been living in the district much before the arrival of Kukis, Hmars and Zemes.

It is on this count, she reminded, that constitutionally Dimasas living in this district as well as in Karbi Anglong have been recognized as scheduled tribe (hills).

Regarding the percentage of population, she quoted 2001 census to establish that Dimasas constitute 55 per cent of the total tribal population and 43 per cent of the whole population of the district.

Swaruparani Hagjer asserted that except the Zeme Nagas, Hmars and Kukis, other non Dimasa tribes are not against the Dimasa people.

Nor do they are opposed to the naming of the district as Dima Hasao. Besides all other non tribal communities- Bengalees, Assamese, Manipuris, Nepalis, Hindi speaking people and Sikhs are not against the Dimasa community.

It is only a handful of people and their organizations which are misguiding the tribals and non tribals of the district for their narrow and selfish political gains.

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