From Our Correspondent
TURA: The Garo National Council (GNC) in Assam, which is spearheading the fight for the rights of the Garos in that state, has called a 24-hour bandh in the districts of Goalpara and Kamrup on October 28 in protest against the Assam government’s plan to go ahead with elections to the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council without changing the present name.
“We are protesting the move by the Assam government to hold elections under the name of Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council. We have been repeatedly demanding that the Rabha Hasong title for the council be changed to that as Tribal Autonomous Council because other tribes and communities reside in the area,” revealed the GNC publicity secretary Benhur Sangma over telephone.The bandh begins from 5 am of Friday and will end at the same time on Saturday.The Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council, elections for which are slated for early next year, will extend to the Garo-dominated areas of Goalpara and Kamrup covering as many as 280 villages.
There are apprehensions among the Garos and other tribes of that area that the decision to go ahead with the Rabha Hasong council name could in the long run alienate their communities and deprive them of much needed developmental fund.
