Rongbin Aklam, October 28 (MExN): A new armed “revolutionary organization” of the Karbi people calling itself the People's Democratic Council of Karbilongri (PDCK) was formed on October 27. A press release from the PDCK stated that the Karbi “had enjoyed sovereignty and independence since time immemorial in their own land without interference from alien rulers,” but “have now become enslaved under Indian colonial exploitation, oppression and suppression.” The statement informed that the “First Preparatory Congress” was held on October 17 and 18 during which a five-member Central Committee was formed to lead the organization under the leadership of Jeksai Kangtang Lijang as Chairman, Nongme Tungjang as General Secretary and Captain David Mukrang as Chief of Army Staff. Stating its objectives, the PDCK statement maintained that it has been formed “to free our people from Indian occupation, colonialism, exploitation, oppression, and suppression.” “We shall establish a political system of democratic republicanism with an economic system built on empirical socialism to bring about a genuine egalitarian society, to promote real liberty, equality and fraternity and to establish respect for every sociocultural ethnicity and the religions of our land,” it added. Giving a brief of its history, the PDCK stated that the Dimasa and Karbi kingdoms “were annexed by the British to their Indian Empire with a foul justification derived from the doctrine of lapse on 14 August, 1832, but the rulers didn't interfere in the internal affairs of the two kingdoms till 1854 and 1886 respectively.” On the recommendation of Simon Commission (1929) the British Empire later administered the two territories by the Governor General directly as excluded and partially excluded area under The Government of India Act, 1935, it pointed out. Mentioning that it was the British and not India which invaded and conquered them, the PDCK asserted that the Karbi and Dimasa peoples were “automatically entitled to the right to become free in their own land” after the British had left. “But it is a historical accident and mistake that Karbi and Dimasa country became victims of political and military hegemony of India, under which our peoples are suffering unending and untold sorrow today,” the Council maintained. Further citing the recent Assam Human Development Report which listed the Karbi people with the highest Human Poverty Index (HPI) value at 33.52, the PDCK held the Government of India as being “solely responsible for the lowest literacy rate and abject human poverty” prevailing among Karbi people. Stating that the Karbi and Dimasa peoples have been “fighting to revive their national pride and restore their lost freedom and glory” through various democratic organisations and armed outfits, the Council insisted that their movements “were never understood and respected by the colonial regime”. “Instead, the occupation forces ruthlessly crushed them down through military means and with evil design,” it lamented and insisted that “the endeavour of a series of movements withered away, and thereafter, the fate of our peoples have become very precarious and uncertain.” Arguing that the Karbi People of Karbilongri have the “natural right to oppose the forcible annexation” through both democratic and armed struggle, the newly formed Council laid bare its resolutions: “to fight for the inalienable right of self-determination and sovereign independence”; “to free our people from political, economic, social and cultural exploitation”; and to “fight against the inhuman acts perpetrated by Indian Army”. The new armed revolutionary organization, the statement maintained, “shall operate with advanced theory of revolution and with principles, ideology and policy based on solid and concrete foundation.” It further expressed “full faith” in the United National Liberation Front of Western South East Asia (UNLFW) and stated that it will be “always ready” to abide by the rules and regulations of the Front. “We have come closer with several like-minded armed revolutionary parties, having similar principles and ideology, of our region like KCP, KLO, KYKL, NDFB, NLFT, NSCN, PREPAK, PREPAK (Pro), RPF and UNLF,” it added. The Karbi, an indigenous people of Sino-Tibetan origin of Mongoloid stock, speaking a Tibeto- Burman language, inhabit the Karbilongri, Dima Hasao (erstwhile United Mikir hills and North Cachar hills), some parts of Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal, Assam and Sylhet division of Bangladesh, the PDCK statement claimed.
