The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had issued notice to the Assam and the Nagaland Director General of Police (DGP) the discovery of nine decomposed bodies from Pachaspura near Chumukedima, Dimapur on 3rd January. They were identified to be from Bokajan in Karbi Anglong district of Assam aftermath the attack of Rengma villages in the same district. NHRC states that taking suo motu cognizance of media report it observed that the report raises serious questions of violation of human rights of victims. The NHRC has through the noticed directed the DGPs of Assam and Nagaland and Dimapur SP to submit the report within four weeks. Well, the nation has to honor the service of the supreme human rights body of the country which is to address all kinds of human rights violation with impartiality in diversified nature of the Indian society and ensure the fundamental rights and human rights guaranteed by the constitution of India and in order to promote equality, justice, secularism, prosperity and integrity among the people in India.
However, it is very much unfortunate that the NHRC has not bothered to take suo motu cognizance of the report in case of the victims in Rengma villages. Nzanken Rengma of Guzenlanyu gaon (Khawani) was kidnapped on October 21st and murdered by Karbi Peoples Liberation Tiger (KPLT) which served ultimatum to the Rengma villages for Rs 50,000/- per house hold as tax from agriculture produces. The KPLT is demanding Karbi statehood with Joint Action Committee for Autonomous State (JACAS) for the Karbis of east Khasi hills in Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh and Tezpur, Sibsagar, Darrang, Morigaon and Lakhimpur districts of Assam from where they have been constantly entering the Rengma territories since the inception of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) in 1951 for they are thoroughly scattered tribe with no homeland. This aspired statehood is to be placed in Rengma Hills, the homeland of Rengmas. The KPLT imposed the indefinite road blockade on Rengma villages from 21st November 2013 and prevented them from selling their oranges, shopping and marketing at the nearby towns for celebration of Christmas which is the only festival for the Christians in the whole year. The KPLT killed seven Rengmas including five women. One of the women was burnt alive. Other six were shot dead at point blank. Two women were burnt with kerosene and the rest of them were cut with machetes by karbi villagers after been shot to dead by the KPLT with sophisticated weapons. Four persons including three women were killed on 27th December at Khawani village and two old Rengma women were shot dead nearby Sathi gaon under Nilip Block under Chokihola PS. The KPLT assisted by Karbi villagers continued killing and burning down of Rengmas and their houses from village to village for a week. Burnt down granaries, killed domestic animals and cut down horti-farms. Villagers were chased away like animals. The following villages were burnt down to ashes.(i)Khawani(Guzenlanyu) (ii) Sathi(Choginlashunyu) (iii) Borlanso(Tsugvuchonri) (iv) Renong and (v) Tarajan(Lorenyu). About 270 houses were burnt down. The destruction is numerous and huge and irreparable. For hundreds of relief campers nothing is left out except remnants of charred materials. No shelter to dwell. No paddies and rice to eat. No clothes to wear. No animal and no orange for sale. All burn, killed and destroyed. The fear psycho has been created in the minds of women and children who saw their closed persons killed, burnt alive and house burnt
Some injured and badly deformed fire victims are struggling between life and dead. As per media report 1375 inmates were enrolled by the police at the relief camps. While about 200 displaced Rengmas stayed in different places. About 150 of them went out to stay with their relatives in Nagaland and about 50 of them went to other districts of Assam for various reasons including medical treatment. Those who died during the attack are dead. But, the future of displaced people and their children grooms in the darkness. The carnage and plunder carried out by the militant with the help of villagers is an act of war and terrorism. They had declared war against the Rengmas as intimidated earlier that they were preparing for war with the Rengmas. No terrorist in the world has ever burnt houses, killed domestic animals, cut down horti-farms and burnt granaries after killing human beings.
The NHRC also asked the Delhi government for reports within four weeks for the death of two homeless. But, it has remained mumped in case of the death of Mouzadar of West Rengma Mouza (or present Diphu) instituted by the British India in 1861 and GB of Nkhenlari village died in the relief camp.
Way back in 2001 the Rengmas in Rengma Hills, Karbi Anglong district of Assam sought the help of NHRC for extreme exploitation against them. The NHRC agents simply visited the highway towns and generalized the matter without entering the interior Rengma villages. The Karbis could have exploited and dominated the Rengmas in various ways because of the empowerment of tribal people under the 6TH Schedule of the the constitution of India in the form of autonomous council. Therefore, the problems of the Rengmas are not only the issues of Assam but issues of the national importance as the errors occurred are deeply rooted with the provision of the constitution of India and can only be rectified with the help of the same.
In January 2013, Baruddin Khan, private secretary to the union minister for minority affairs acknowledged that the same had taken up the matter of the Rengmas with the union home mister, Sushil Kumar Shinde, regarding the exploitation and injustice meted out to the Rengma Nagas by the Karbis in Assam. But nothing has materialized till date.
The Assam government had already announced Rs 6 lakhs each exgratia to the families of nine killed cited above. The government of Nagaland announced Rs 1 lakh ex gratia each to the families of the same. But the government of Assam is silent regarding the Rengma families of those killed by the KPLT and Karbi villagers. Assam govt. has also not reciprocated its counter state. It is ironic that all the media reports of the events in the national TVs and news papers since day one of the attack on the Rengmas have unexpectedly failed to convince the NHRC, the government of Assam and the central government.
K. Thong
Convenor,
Rengma Hills Support Centre
