Tribal bodies support Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha’s legal fight for indigenous rights
Prominent tribal leaders hail Matiur Rahman’s relentless fight to secure constitutional safeguards for Assam’s indigenous people
File image of Matiur Rahman, working president of the Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha (Photo: meta)
Palasbari, Nov 12: A number of tribal organizations, including prominent Rabha and Garo bodies, have extended their full support to the Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha for its legal initiative aimed at protecting the rights and identity of the indigenous communities of Assam.
In a joint press statement issued on Tuesday, the organizations expressed their deep appreciation and gratitude towards noted legal activist Matiur Rahman, who has been relentlessly pursuing legal measures to safeguard the indigenous peoples of Assam.
Rahman, who serves as the working president of the Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha, recently filed a review petition (Diary No. 57922/2025) in the Supreme Court of India on October 7, seeking implementation of 1951 as the base year for determining citizenship in Assam, in accordance with constitutional provisions.
The organizations including the Nikhil Rabha National Council, Garo Sahitya Sabha, Nikhil Rabha Sahitya Sabha, and the All Rabha Kristi Sanmilan collectively voiced support for the petition. They also expressed hope that the Supreme Court will issue appropriate directives to the government to protect Assam from illegal immigration and demographic aggression.
The joint statement was signed by Govinda Rabha, general secretary of the Nikhil Rabha National Council, Bichitra Sangma, president of the Garo Sahitya Sabha, Raj Kumar Rabha, chief secretary of the Nikhil Rabha Sahitya Sabha and Kameswar Rabha Dayanang, secretary of the All Rabha Kristi Sanmilan.
The statement highlighted that western Assam is the traditional homeland of the Rabha community, which, along with the Koch and Garo peoples, has for centuries defended the region against external threats. However, the organizations warned that today, non-indigenous settlers and suspected illegal immigrants have increasingly encroached upon the tribal belts and blocks of Goalpara district, threatening the socio-political stability and indigenous character of the region.
They further cautioned that if March 25, 1971 – the day Bangladesh war born – is used as the cut-off year for determining citizenship instead of 1951 as per the Indian Constitution, then the indigenous communities such as the Rabhas, Koch, Garos, Deshi Muslims, and Assamese-speaking people risk becoming minorities in their own homeland, losing their ancestral land, political power, and constitutional rights forever.