annual report print final.qxd - Asian Centre for Human Rights

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Assam
accept a set of rehabilitation measures on
the ground that the State government did
not fulfill its promise of providing genuine
rehabilitation aid. 65
VII. Rights of indigenous peoples
Assam is the land of hundreds of
indigenous peoples who are divided into
two main groups - plain tribes and hill
tribes. Many tribal groups who were
excluded have been demanding for
inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes. On 21
June 2004, the Assam State Government
reportedly decided to constitute a Cabinet
sub-committee to expedite the matter of
giving Scheduled Tribe status to six
communities namely Ahom, Matak,
Moran, Tea tribes, Chutia and Koch
Rajbongshis. 66
While addressing the 6th Tiwa
Xahitya Xabha at Amsoi in Nagaon on 1
March 2004, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi
reportedly stated that all ethnic tribes
would be conferred the 6th schedule
status. 67 At the end of the year, no visible
measure was taken.
The State government reportedly
failed to fill up the vacancies reserved for
the indigenous peoples (Scheduled Tribes)
and Scheduled Castes. In the Education
Department, the total number of such
backlog posts in the Secondary Education
section alone was reportedly 5,099. 68 There
were about 12,352 vacancies for ST and
SC candidates in 38 government
departments of the State government. 69
Land alienation and forced evictions
continued to pose serious problems for the
indigenous peoples. On 12 May 2004,
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi reportedly
ordered a probe into the allegation of
handing over of tribal belt land in Dimoria
to non-tribals. Additional Chief Secretary
S Kabilan was asked to conduct the
enquiry. The Chief Minister also ordered
action against the persons responsible for
handing over of tribal land to non-tribals. 70
The Assam Government reportedly served
eviction notices to the Dimoria tribals
living in the Kamrup (Metropolitan)
district. Indigenous peoples alleged that
out of the 215 bighas under the occupation
of non-tribal landowners in the Dimoria
tribal belt, the naamjari, title deeds, of 62
bighas, belonging to 12 non-tribal owners,
had been cancelled. But neither the
registration of these 62 bighas was
cancelled nor the non-tribal occupants
were evicted from the land. 71 These
allotments to non-tribals violate the
provisions of the amended Chapter-X of
the Assam Land Revenue Regulation,
1886. 72
The State Government in violation of
chapter X of the Assam Land Revenue
Regulation, 1886 also included five nontribal
persons in the eight-member Land
Advisory Board. 73
Many indigenous peoples in
Karimganj district living in socalled
reserve forests were also served eviction
notices despite the fact that sub-divisional
level advisory committee in its meeting
proposed to issue periodic patta to the
tribal people who are residing in the forest
villages. These indigenous peoples were
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