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Joint Adivasi Action Committee calls for poll boycott

Sushanta Talukdar

Demanding ST status it also calls for economic blockade

Guwahati: The Joint Adivasi Action Committee — an umbrella organisation of adivasi outfits including the two militant outfits, Adivasi Cobra Militants of Assam (ACMA) and the Birsa Commando Force (BCF) — has called for a boycott of the panchayat elections in Assam and an indefinite economic blockade in Assam and “greater Jharkhand” areas from January 27 next, demanding that Scheduled Tribe status be accorded to adivasis and tea-tribe communities of Assam.

Leaders of the Action Committee also revealed their plan to float a new political party at the national level. The decisions were taken at a meeting of the Action Committee held on Thursday.

Apart from the two militant outfits the meeting was attended by other constituents of the Action Committee including the Jharkhand Disam Party, the All India Adivasi Students’ Youth Union, the Adivasi Council of Assam, the Adivasi Mahila Samiti and the All Assam Tea Tribe Students’ Association (AATTSA). Although the All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA) is also constituent of the action committee it is not a party to panchayat poll boycott call but has backed the economic blockade.

Self styled Commander-in-Chief of the ACMA Kanhu Murmoo and Chairman of the militant BCF Birsing Munda told reporters here on Friday that the committee would enforce indefinite road and railway blockade from January 27 onwards at Buxirhat and Srirampur along Assam-West Bengal border to stop goods movement to Assam and other northeastern states. Similar blockades would also enforced in uranium, coal and other mines of Jharkhand, he said. Both the ACMA and the BCF are currently under ceasefire agreement.

The militant leader said that blockades would also be enforced along the Assam-Bhutan border.

The call for boycott of the panchayat polls has also been given by the Janagosthya Aikyamancha — a coordination committee of organisations representing six communities of Assam demanding Scheduled Tribe status. The Janagosthiya Aikyamanch has also called for a 36-hour Assam Bandh from December 30. The six communities are Koch-Rajbanshis, Tai-Ahoms, Tea-tribe and adivasis, Morans, Muttock and Chutias. The three-phase panchayat elections in Assam are scheduled for December 31, January 4 and January 9.

A meeting of the Strategy Group of the Unified Command of the Army, police and paramilitary forces convened by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi reviewed the prevailing situation and ongoing counter insurgency operations. Sources said that the meeting underlined the need for stepping up area domination by security forces along Assam-Nagaland border and the districts in which the militant All Adivasi National Liberation Army (AANLA) is active, to thwart any attempt by the outfit to strike during the panchayat polls. The State government has been examining the scope of banning the AANLA.

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