United Naga Tribes Association on Border Areas (UNTABA) and Rengma Selo Zi (RSZ) have separately reacted to the proposed peace accord between the government of India, government of Assam and six Karbi rebel outfits, and the creation of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Territorial Council (KAATC).
In a statement, UNTABA chairman Hukavi T Yeputhomi and general secretary Imsumongba Pongen said that the association acknowledged the intent of the government of India and the government of Assam to bring about peaceful political settlement with various rebel groups.
UNTABA, however, said that no political settlement would prove fruitful if it was not based on historical facts, especially in the case of the present Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao areas of Assam, where the original settlers were Rengmas, Zeme and Zeliangrong Nagas.
It claimed that the British Administration penetrated the Naga Hills in the later part of the 1830s and tax collection from the Naga villages began in 1837. When the British learnt that all those areas were inhabited by the Nagas, UNTABA said they declared the areas as ‘the Rengma Naga Hills’ in their official gazette in 1841. To administer the Naga areas more conveniently, UNTABA said a sub-divisional headquarters was established at Asaloo presently under Dima Hasao district in 1853.
Further, UNTABA said that in order to bring about more Naga tribes directly under its administration, the Naga Hills District was created in 1866, headquartered at Samaguting, the present Chumukedima.
To avoid inconveniences and prevent further complications, UNTABA said a separate and distinct boundary line for the Naga Hills District was demarcated and notified in 1875. UNTABA stated that the areas under proposed KAATC purely fell within the Naga Hills District including the following Reserve Forests namely; Nambor RF, Daigurung RF, Kaliani RF, Mikir RF, Diphu RF, Rengma RF, Daldali RF, Dhansiri RF, Langting Mupa RF and Lumding RF which were transferred from Naga Hills District to the then Nowgong and Sibsagar districts of Assam.
The association asserted that any political settlements that “maybe worked out with the immigrants or late settlers can never bring about peace and tranquillity in this part of the world.”
UNTABA has, therefore, urged the government of India to “go back to the history and acknowledge the same if its intent was to really bring about permanent political settlement with any ethnic community in the North East.”
Further, UNTABA urged the government of India to instead adopt proactive policies so as to review the North East Reorganization Act of 1971 in its entirety and affect necessary amendment so any political agreement/arrangement could be made with permanency.
RSZ affirms stand on KAATC issue
Affirming its stand on the proposed creation of KAATC in Assam, the Rengma Selo Zi (RSZ) has stated that the government of India and government of Assam should first look into the legitimate rights of the Rengmas based on historical facts “before signing the final accord with the Karbis, or for that matter before entering into any agreement”.
In a press release, RSZ president Kenneth Kath and general secretary Sokenye maintained that the “sensitive ongoing political dialogue” between the government of India and the Naga people “should not be jeopardized by any misadventures, such as the present negotiations with certain Karbi groups, which, besides being a travesty of justice, may lead to undesirable consequences.”
RSZ has also affirmed its full support to the Rengma Naga Peoples’ Council (RNPC)’s decades-long struggle for the creation of Rengma Hills Autonomous District with headquarters at Phentecho by upgrading the Bokajan sub-division, the erstwhile East Rengma Mouza. RSZ said that one assembly seat should also be created and reserved for the Rengmas.
Further, RSZ expressed deep concern over the “current developments” wherein the land of the Nagas everywhere was “slowly but strategically being disintegrated for the benefit of undeserving and manipulative aliens at the expense of the Nagas”. RSZ said it was a wakeup call for all the Nagas to stand united to protect and preserve “whatever is inalienably ours for posterity.”