Centre not concern about preservation of identity of NE indigenous people: Samuel Jyrwa

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaAugust 17, 2022

The North East Students’ Organization (NESO) on Wednesday staged a sit-in-demonstration demanding the Government of India to immediately implement the 12-point charter of demands that include implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in the entire North East region.

Leaders and activists of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP), Ri Bhoi Youth Federation (RBYF), Hynniewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF), Hynniewtrep Integrated Territorial Organization (HITO), Jaintia Students’ Union also participated in the protest held amid tight security.

The NESO has been demanding to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958, repeal of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), immediate implementation of the Assam Accord, solving the interstate boundary as well as international border issues, adopt an educational policy for NE region based on cultural and history of NE region.

Speaking to reporters, NESO chairman Samuel B Jyrwa said the sit-in-demonstration organized by the NESO is being held in all the seven states of the North East region as the government of India has ignored the demands which are for the protection of the indigenous people of the region.

He said the government of India has not only turned a deaf ear but instead of fulfilling the demands they have implemented or rather they promulgated the CAA which is against the interest of the indigenous people of the entire NE region.

“We therefore demand the central government to implement these issues so that our identity is not threatened in the near future,” Jyrwa, who is also the former KSU president said.

When asked about the next course of action, Jyrwa said the constituent organizations of the NESO will be meeting from time to time to chalk out the future course of action.

“The different constituent organizations like the KSU, GSU, AASU and others who are affiliated to NESO they are at their liberty to take out any agitations for the interest of the indigenous people of the entire region,” he said.

On the delay of the Centre to implement ILP in Meghalaya despite a resolution passed by the state Assembly in 2019, the NESO chairman said ILP is nothing new as it has been more than 30 years since the KSU has been demanding for its implementation to protect the indigenous people from illegal influx.

“However, we don’t know the mind of the Centre since they don’t speak clearly or they don’t spell out clearly what they have in mind…it shows that the government of India is not at all concerns about the preservation of our identity, preservation of our culture, of the microscopic indigenous communities in Meghalaya and other states of the NE,” he said.

He reminded that the protest was against the indifferent attitude of the government of India since Independence towards the NE states.

Jyrwa said that the NESO need not go to Delhi and put pressure on the central government as it knows enough about the demand for ILP and other issues concerning the indigenous people of the NE region.

“If the government of India is really keen to protect us they can do so but it seems that the government of India through its attitude all these years since independence it has a careless attitude towards the indigenous people of the NE region but rather they are interested only in the land and not the people,” he stated.