SHILLONG, AUG 29: The Jaintia Students’ Union (JSU) on Monday demanded the immediate repeal of the 1951 notification for retransferring of Block-I under the jurisdiction of the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) of Meghalaya.
In a memorandum submitted to the secretary in-charge Home (Political), CVD Diengdoh, the JSU lauded the efforts by the present state government and the government of Assam to address the long pending Meghalaya-Assam interstate boundary dispute.
“As you are aware that a large chunk of Jaintia Hills left of their larger kingdom was unconstitutionally detached, transferred and mechanically tagged with the non-adjoining and truncated Mikir (now Karbi Anglong) only for administrative convenience which were transferred by the Governor of Assam in exercise his powers under para 1 to the sixth scheduled of the constitution of India through the Notification No. TADR/31/50/148 dated April, 1951” said the memorandum.
The JSU stated that the British annexed the Jaintia Kingdom in 1835 and confined the Jaintias to their hilly country which was ratified by the constituent assembly according to the constitution of Independent India approved in 1949 and promulgated on the 26th January 1950 (Vide map at appendix-B).
It stated that the then government of Assam against the will of people detached a large portion of the Jaintia Hills and comprising one Dalloiship (Labang-Nongphyllut), one Sirdarship (Langsoh-Mynriang), a large part of Raliang Dalloiship known as Pangam Raliang which all together consist of nearly half Jaintia Hills and was forcibly transferred and mechanically tagged with non-adjoining and truncated Mikir Hills for creating the then United Maker and North Cachar Hills District on 13 April 1951.
The memorandum claimed that many people from the area forcibly detached were arrested and taken to the Nowgong jail and elsewhere and two of the arrested namely Trod Thaiang and Pin Thaiang Sariang were beaten to death in Nowgong jail (vide M.M.Thaiang, The History of the people of Labang Nongphyllut and Pangam Raliang, 2001).
“While the action of the governor of Assam was under a constitutional provision his action was against human rights principles which has resulted in severe oppression of the Khasi-Jaintia people living in this area up to the present time and the people of Khasi Jaintia tribe also faced deprivation, threats, assaults and killings as well as criminal intimidations in all forms” alleged the JSU.
The JSU stated that several meetings were held between the two state governments and between the two Autonomous District Councils (ADC) to solve the problems during the last 70 years (vide Letter No.TAD/GA/83/50 dated Shillong, the 5th November 1957) had yielded no results.
“We therefore request you to resolve the issue of Block 1 on the principles outlined above to enable the return back or reunification of Block 1 to the state of Meghalaya as is right under law and the constitution of India” said the memorandum.
By Our Reporter
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