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Thursday, November 1, 2012

More than 200 stage dharna for rehabilitation

The Janajati Suraksha Manch today staged a sit-in on the premises of the deputy commissioner’s office, seeking fulfilment of demands related to the relief and rehabilitation of those affected in the recent violence in Kokrajhar, Dhubri and Chirang districts.

Over 200 people, including from the affected villages, participated in the dharna, staged from 11am to noon.

A memorandum with a 14-point charter of demands was submitted to the Kokrajhar deputy commissioner.

Additional deputy commissioner Dinesh Boro accepted the memorandum on behalf of the deputy commissioner.

The demand includes protecting the notified villages in tribal belts and blocks mentioned in the government notification, eviction of illegal migrants/encroachers from tribal belts and blocks, forestland, khas land, grazing field and riverine land which have been encroached into by illegal migrants.

“All illegal migrants should be evicted from the tribal belts and blocks. It is found that the forestland, khas land, grazing field and riverine land are encroached by the illegal migrants.

Their alarming growth rate has outnumbered the population of original inhabitants and it has become a serious threat to the existence of indigenous people in the area. The government should take immediate measures to free all these areas from the occupants of illegal migrants,” the group demanded.

It also demanded six months’ free ration to farmers of the affected villages and immediate reconstruction of school infrastructure.

It also demanded proper verification of land documents, voter list of 1971 and NRC 1951 before rehabilitation of the suspected nationalities.

The memorandum demanded the arrest of Abdul Razzak, the then officer in-charge of Bhowraguri police station, who was accused of being involved in the killing of two youths near Second Bazaar after which the violence started.

It also demanded full security for the affected villagers and grants of Rs 5 lakh each to the affected families whose houses were totally burnt and Rs 2 lakh each to the partially damaged houses.

Compensation of Rs 1 lakh for loss of household materials and livestock whose houses were either burnt or looted during the violence and ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of those killed was also sought.

Demise: Chanakya Brahma, 68, chief convener of Bodoland Senior Citizens’ Forum and founder president of Komlainai Federation of India, died of cardiac arrest at Beijing in China.

Brahma was on tour to China promoting the Bodo indigenous sport, komlainai (wrestling), where he was said to have suffered the attack this morning leading to his death.

A dramatist, Brahma retired as the principal of District Institute of Elementary Education, Kokrajhar. After his retirement, he was fully involved in promoting Bodo indigenous games like komlaina and gila, besides being active in social initiatives in various ways.

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