By Abdul Gani, TwoCircles.net,
Guwahati: The civil society and various organizations of Assam have decided to put pressure on the state government and also on the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) administration to release the money for rehabilitation at the earliest and without any terms and conditions to the poor peasants who have been affected the violence which took place in July in 2012.
“The group of ministers along with the BTAD administration have hatched a new conspiracy to drive away the Muslim peasants living in the khas land for more than 40/50 years. According to the latest joint resolution of them, these peasants will be provided Rs.50, 000 if they sign a bond that they will leave their land. And the helpless poverty-stricken peasants are signing this bond,” said Advocate Mokhleshur Rahman, President of Gosaigaon based grass-root organisation, Minorities Rights Protection Committee (MRPC).
A relief camp in Gosaigaon after the Bodo-Muslim clashes.
In Gossaigaon sub-division there are some 3,000 such families and in Kokrajhar sub-division the amount of such families are some 4,000.
“Once they sign the bond, they will have to leave BTAD as they will have no right to buy land there,” he added.
It was decided in a meeting took place recently took place between Group of Ministers (GoM) and Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) chief Hagrama Mohilary. Assam Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Prithvi Majhi and transport minister Chandan Brahma were also present in the meeting.
File photo of Mokhleshur Rahman
In this regard, a 37-member coordination committee was also formed to further put pressure on the state government. This committee which comprises representatives from several students’ and social bodies will continue to work for the welfare of the poor peasants.
“The meeting has decided to protest government’s decision to give compensation of Rs.50, 000 to each khas land holder families against an affidavit that they will not construct house at khas land,” Rahman further said.
Char Chapori Sahitya Parishad (CCSP), a literary body of the state has also requested chief minister Tarun Gogoi. Its president Hafiz Ahmed told TwoCircles.net that if this agreement continues to be on the place the poor peasants will suffer.
Writer and activist Hafiz Ahmed
CCSP also appealed the chief minister to take immediate measures to rehabilitate the people and take special care for the students who have lost their valuable time. “The students and the children are the worst sufferers in the violence. The government should take special measures to treat them. Some of the kids who have seen their near and dear ones being killed in front of their eyes, have lost the mental balance,” Hafiz Ahmed said. Altogether, there are around 70,000 students have under gone the trauma of the violence.
[Photos: M. Reyaz]