From Our Special Correspondent
GUWAHATI: The Joint Action Committee for Autonomous State (JACAS), which has been spearheading the movement for a separate state for the Karbis of Assam over the decades, has expressed grave concern at the hate mongering campaign allegedly carried out by certain sections against the community since the June 8 mob lynching of two youths in Karbi Anglong.
“We have observed an unrelenting attempt by sections to spread hatred against the Karbi community either on social media or otherwise since the mob lynching of Nilotpal Das and Abhijeet Nath at Panjuri Kacharigaon under Dokmoka police station,” JACAS chairman, Khorsing Teron told reporters here on Wednesday.
The committee, while condemning the incident, said that justice should be delivered and the perpetrators of the incident should be brought to book.
“However, a campaign to criminalise the Karbi community by certain sections has been going on, which has annihilated the ‘mildest of all tribes’ image of the Karbis. We feel as if we are a blot on the Assamese society,” Teron said.
JACAS also recalled the fact that the then autonomous council had chosen to remain in Assam when Meghalaya was formed 46 years ago.
“But such hate mongering mainly through social media does no good to our morale and should therefore be stopped immediately,” he said.
The committee also slammed the opposition by 15 non-tribal organisations to the framing of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council’s (KAAC) own rules and termed it “unconstitutional”.
“The Sixth Schedule to the Constitution empowers the KAAC to frame its own rules for constitution of autonomous council. The Gauhati High Court has also directed the KAAC to frame own rules. Therefore the opposition to the framing of KAAC’s own rules by these non-tribal organisations, as appeared in a section of web portals and local media, is unconstitutional and against the order of Gauhati High Court,” the JACAS chairman said.