Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (BGP), a civic body of the Gorkhas in India, has expressed dissatisfaction over the exclusion of the community as an indigenous community from the Clause 6 of Assam Accord. A delegation of the Assam state unit met chief secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna and submitted him a memorandum on the issue.

BGP Assam president Prakash Dahal termed it unfortunate that Gorkhas of the state are left out.

“The Assam Accord Clause 6 committee’s report did not mention anything about the constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards of the Gorkhas of Assam under Clause 6 of the Assam Accord. The report suggests 1951 is the cut off year for defining Assamese people whereas Gorkhas had fought for saving their own motherland Assam from Burmese invasion in 1826 that concluded as Treaty of Yandaboo,” Dahal said.

As per the BGP, Gorkhas were permanently settled in scheduled areas since the last part of 18th century as graziers and cultivators obtaining grazing/khuti permits. Gorkhas were declared as protected class by the British in the year 1947 prior to 1951 in tribal belts and blocks as per Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act, 1886, they said.

Nanda Kirati Dewan, spokesperson of BGP’s Assam unit said that they have put their dissent officially in front of the chief secretary.

Dewan further said that the Gorkhas from Assam have a significant role in the freedom struggle movement as freedom fighters and attaining martyrdom.

“Gorkhas of Assam significantly contributed for the protection and preservation of Assamese language during the time of language movement. The soul of Assam agitation is Assam Accord and the soul of Assam Accord is Clause 6. The truth is Gorkhas too have attained martyrdom in the six-year-long Assam agitation. We are shocked to see on what ground the Gorkhas are left out from such a historic report,” Dewan added.

The BGP delegation which was led by its national president Sukhman Moktan requested the chief secretary to take initiative in this regard with the Union home ministry.

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