GUWAHATI, Sept 4 - The Khilanjiya Mancha, Assam (Indigenous Forum, Assam) has demanded constitutional safeguard to all the indigenous communities of the State without any precondition.
Mancha chief convenor Anup Chetia told this newspaper here today that the peoples who are the original inhabitants of Assam should be granted the right to become automatically entitled to this constitutional safeguard. They should be enlisted and provided the constitutional protection from being reduced into non-entities in Assam, be it politically, economically or culturally. This is to be done with the aim to remove all the threats they are now facing to their existence.
Chetia also informed that an urgent meeting of the Mancha held here on Tuesday decided to hold a convention of the representatives of all the indigenous ethnic groups on September 15 in the city.
The proposed convention will properly articulate the demand of the indigenous ethnic groups of the State, with the aim at placing it before the high-level committee constituted by the Union government on the issue of according constitutional safeguard to the indigenous peoples of Assam under Clause VI of the Assam Accord, said Chetia, who presided over the meeting yesterday.
Chetia informed that leaders of a total of 28 organisations of the ethnic groups took part in Tuesday�s meeting.
