Guwahati: The All Dimasa Students’ Union (ADSU) on Wednesday strongly opposed proposals to divide Dima Hasao district into two separate districts along communal lines. The union demanded that the State government disclose details of recent discussions on the matter within 72 hours.
Addressing a press conference at the union’s office in Haflong, ADSU president Aurajit Kemprai said the organisation would never accept the district’s bifurcation on communal grounds. He alleged that the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum (IPF) has been actively pressing for the division.
Kemprai said that on February 13, a meeting was held at Janata Bhawan in Dispur between State Minister Pijush Hazarika and representatives of the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum, Indigenous Students’ Forum, and Indigenous Women’s Forum to discuss the proposal. A subsequent meeting also took place with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the same three organisations.
The ADSU expressed strong resentment that no representatives from Dimasa student or social organisations were invited to the discussions. Kemprai insisted that any future talks on the proposed bifurcation must include Dimasa representatives. He warned that if the government failed to disclose the outcomes within 72 hours, the union would announce its next course of action on Sunday.
The ADSU president further said that despite the long-standing demand for a separate “Dimaraji” state, the government has yet to engage in formal discussions with Dimasa organisations. He also alleged that several clauses of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed between the government and both factions of the Dima Halam Daogah (DHD) militant groups remain unimplemented.
It may be recalled that since March 30, 2010, when the then Congress government renamed North Cachar Hills district as Dima Hasao, the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum has been advocating for its bifurcation — a demand that has previously sparked unrest in the district.