Rengma-Karbi tension persists
Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network

Dimapur, June 16 2013: Nagas and the people confining in the fringes of Assam are engaging in unending feuds for the last few months.

The Adivasi-Naga tension that was simmering in the first part of this month had calmed down now but the tension between the Rengma Naga and the Karbi community of Assam is heightening.

Rengma Naga community residing in the Karbi Anglong district of Assam are fleeing into Nagaland even as the Karbi People's Liberation Tigers (KLPT) are intimidating these Rengma Nagas.

Naga Rengma Hills Protection Force (NRHPF) formed few months ago are operating in the Karbi Anglong district of Assam.

Few days ago, the cadres KLPT came to Rengma Naga dominated area and asked the leaders of these Rengma villages to bring the cadres of Rengma militants along with their weapons by June 9 or else the they would 'kill' all the Rengmas in Karbi Anglong district.

Meanwhile, the Rengma Hoho of Dimapur today said the exodus of hundreds of Western Rengmas from their ancestral land, Karbi Anglong (Assam), under the threat of extermination by KLPT 'extremists' is totally unacceptable to the Rengma people living in both Assam and Nagaland.

"This is a direct challenge to Rengmas existence as a people and Rengma Hoho Dimapur construes this as an act of ethnic cleansing for which the Government of India and international community is urged to intervene immediately," the Rengma Hoho Dimapur said.

Rengma Hoho Dimapur (RHD) reminds the Karbi people and the Government of India that history cannot be denied or even twisted to suit the chauvinistic agenda of a particular people.

"The Government of India and Assam Government both should understand that Rengmas are indigenous, true sons of the soil of Karbi Anglong having lived in this land for hundreds of years predating Karbis who are relatively late arrivals to the land.

By quirk of fate, disease, plague and poison reduced our once proud people-the rulers of Karbi Anglong and Rengma Hills to a minority.

If cleansing the land of non-Karbis is the political agenda of Karbis, then the Government of India is urged to abrogate the MOU arrived between UPDS and government of India for implementation in 2016/17 and review the whole gamut of the proposed settlement keeping in consideration the interests of minority communities in Karbi Anglong," RHD added.

Rengmas have suffered enough over the past decades.

Developmentally, Western Rengmas are at the lowest rung with basic amenities such as roads, electricity and even schools non-existent.

Culturally, Rengma language and way of life is under constant threat and the latest attempt at physical elimination leading to mass exodus is an attack on the principles under which this country was founded, RHD stated.

"The Karbi civil society, intellectuals, church leaders and student bodies are urged to immediately intervene and restore normalcy.

Rengma people are willing to have a dialogue with our Karbi brethrens inorder to give peace a chance.

Extremist agenda should not highjack Karbi society or else it may not bode well for the future of both our peoples," the Rengma Hoho cautions.

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