Guwahati: The All Assam Tribal Students Union (AATSU) has demanded the withdrawal of Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio’s reported description of the Kachari community as migrants, asserting that the community has deep-rooted historical and ancestral links with Dimapur.
In a statement on Tuesday, AATSU president Hariswar Brahma said Dimapur was once the capital of the erstwhile Kachari Kingdom. Although the royal capital shifted to different locations for security reasons, the subjects continued to live in their ancestral villages and territories.
The organisation asserted that the Kacharis are indigenous inhabitants of the Dimapur region and cannot be termed migrants. It cited the historical remains of ancient Dimapur, including its brick structures, the legacy of the erstwhile Kachari Kingdom and the traditional boundary between the Kachari kingdom and Angami Naga territory.
The AATSU has urged the Nagaland Government and the Centre to protect the identity, rights and constitutional interests of the indigenous Kachari community in Nagaland.
The organisation has placed eight demands before the two governments. These include political safeguards and special reservation provisions for the Kachari community, along with special constitutional recognition and protection for the indigenous Dimasa Kacharis of Nagaland.
It has also demanded recognition of the Kachari language in primary education and the appointment of language teachers, besides protection and preservation of neglected historical monuments across Dimapur district.
Other demands include renaming Dimapur Airport after Raja Detsung, whom the organisation describes as a prominent ruler of the erstwhile Kachari Kingdom; equal opportunities in government employment with special consideration for the community’s historical background; and the issuance of land pattas to indigenous Kacharis in Nagaland.
The AATSU has also called for early completion of the pending Dhansiri Par and Bheta Gaon Dhansiri River bridge projects in the interest of people in Assam and Nagaland.
The organisation expressed hope that the Nagaland Government would consider its demands in accordance with the Constitution.
Maintaining that geographical boundaries may change but historical heritage cannot be erased, the AATSU said it would continue to defend the historical identity, ancestral rights and dignity of the Kachari community through peaceful and democratic means.