The Assam government has decided to implement most of the recommendations of a panel appointed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to apply Clause 6 of the Assam Accord by April 15, 2024.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said after a Cabinet meeting in North Lakhimpur town on Wednesday (September 4, 2024) evening that 57 of the 67 recommendations of the committee headed by Justice (retired) Biplab Sarma would be implemented.
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The Cabinet decision followed a renewed movement across eastern Assam for protecting the rights of the khilonjia or indigenous communities against the “aggression” of the non-Assamese and other bohiragata (outsiders). The movement was triggered by the alleged gang-rape of a minor girl by Bengali Muslims in central Assam’s Dhing on August 22.
“We have begun the process of implementing the Justice Biplab Sarma Committee report on Clause 6, the application of which the people of Assam have been demanding for long. We sought three years to study the recommendations the committee submitted (more than four years ago) and today, we have decided to implement 85% of these recommendations that fall under the ambit of the State government,” the Chief Minister said.
He said the remaining 10 of the 67 recommendations under the purview of the Centre would be taken up with New Delhi conveniently. “These recommendations will be made public in three to four days,” he added.
The Assam Accord was signed in August 1985 to mark the end of a violent six-year agitation to eject “illegal foreigners” from the State. Most of the clauses of this accord were implemented but successive governments steered clear of Clause 6 guaranteeing “constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards” to the Assamese people.
One of the reasons was that there has been no consensus on “who is an Assamese” in the multi-ethnic State although the Chief Minister loosely defined it as “someone who has lived in Assam for more than a hundred years”.
The demand for implementing Clause 6 gained momentum during the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act in 2019 following which the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government asked the MHA to form the Justice (retired) Biplab Sarma Committee. The panel submitted its 91-page report on February 25, 2020, more than a fortnight after Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised the implementation of Clause 6 while addressing a rally in Assam.
Roadmap prepared
Dr. Sarma said a group of ministers would discuss the 57 recommendations with the All Assam Students’ Union, which spearheaded the Assam Agitation, and other organisations to reach an agreement. “We have prepared a roadmap for the successful implementation,” he said.
He said approvals would be taken from the authorities of the Bodoland Territorial Region, the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council, and the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council – all Sixth Schedule areas – to avoid hurting “sensitivities around language, culture, and traditions” while implementing the recommendations.
A similar approval would also be taken from the people of the Bengali-dominated Barak Valley in southern Assam before implementing the panel’s recommendations there, he said.
“The 57 recommendations will be implemented instantly in the State barring the Sixth Schedule areas and the Barak Valley,” he said.
The Chief Minister asserted that along with actions already taken by the BJP-led State government, these recommendations would ensure a ‘suraksha chakra’ (ring of constitutional protection) for the Assamese people, specifically land rights.
Published - September 05, 2024 10:47 am IST
