Letter to demand for Justice for the Adivasis of Assam, India

Mob attack in Assam

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Adivasis website: http://joharadivasi.org

The letter:

To,

Dr. Manmohan Singh

The Hon’ble Prime Minister

Government of India

Dated: 30 November 2007

Subject: Demand for Justice for the Adivasis of Assam

Sir,

With deep sentiments of sorrow and anger we would like to bring to your kind notice the violation of human rights of the Adivasis of Assam, India.

As you might be aware through media reports on 24^th November 2007 in a rally organized by AASAA (All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam) over ten thousand Adivasi men, women and student activists had come for a rally and meeting at Guwahati to press for the demand of Schedule Tribe (ST) Status to the community that had been unjustly de-scheduled by the first Chief Minister of Assam in 1950.The local people whose identities are yet to be known attacked the defenseless Adivasis amongst whom were women and children with stones, iron rods, sticks. Adivasi women were raped and molested. The stripping of a 16 year girl in public is horrifying and shocking while the police personnel remained mute spectators to the scene.

Official sources quote 5 people as dead and 200 injured, but the ground report that 20 Adivasis were killed, over 25 are still missing; and over 250 are injured. It is feared that the number of dead will rise above 50 with severely injured Adivasis battling for their lives. More than 250 injured Adivasis were admitted in Guwahati Medical College (GMC) and Mahendra Mohan Chaudhuri hospital.

5 Adivasi student activists - including Mr. Joseph Minj, the general secretary and Prem Hasda,  assistant finance secretary and 3 others have been detained and arrested, while little effort is made to nab the culprits who indulged in inhuman killing, and torturing the innocent and defenseless Adivasis. 

The Adivasis of Assam have been demanding ST status for more than 50 years. The movement demanding ST status was lead by the Adivasi Council of Assam soon after Adivasis were de-scheduled in 1950.  Later after 1996 carnage of Adivasis in Lower Assam where about 10 thousand Adivasis were killed and over 250 thousand were rendered homeless, AASAA  emerged to protest against this gruesome genocide and fight for the rights of the survivors. Since then AASAA has been leading the movement demanding ST status for the Adivasis of Assam.

The Adivasis have become victims of ‘vote bank’ politics where several promises were made during the Adivasi Mahasabha at Mazbat, Darrang District (9-11 December 2001) and Guwahati on (May 8, 2003). We condemn this brutal incidence and we demand that justice is done to the victims and demand that Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to be granted to the Adivasis of Assam to end this vicious cycle of betrayal and violence on the hapless and marginalized section of the society.

Yours sincerely

Stephen Ekka

Director

PAJHRA