The Global Naga Forum (GNF) has sought off a letter to Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday seeking him to take note of the history of the Rengma Nagas in Assam even as he works with the proposed Karbi Anglong Autonomous Territorial Council (KAATC).
“Our fervent hope is that the past sidelining of the historical and political rights of the Rengmas stays in the past, not to be repeated in the present and future,” the letter said.
The letter signed by GNF convener Chuba Ozukum and co-convener Dr. Rosemary Dzuvichu drew the attention of Sarma to the plight of the Rengma Naga people in Assam.
It touched on the modern evolution of the Rengma Naga people in Assam which started in April 1841, and how they consistently sought to assert their historical and political rights over their ancestral lands in Assam.
The GNF said it was happy to know that his government, with the recognition of the central Indian government, is actively pursuing conflict resolution with ethnic groups in Karbi Anglong through the creation of KAATC.
“We believe that this will have a positive impact on bringing much-needed peace in our region,” the letter.
The GNF also urged Sarma to recall that the Rengma Nagas in Assam are peace-loving citizens and have not pursued conflict with other ethnic groups under the “so-called Karbi Anglong areas”.
It said the Rengma Nagas in Assam continues to be dependent on the outcome of the ongoing Indo-Naga political dialogue for some way forward in their own journey towards greater autonomy, whether they are integrated with other Naga-inhabited areas under one administrative roof, or through an Autonomous Territorial Council for Nagas in Assam.
The GNF reiterated that the need for equity and justice for all groups of people in the present world. It hoped the Assam chief minister will do all in his power to ensure this is true for the Rengma Nagas.