The Adivasi Problem In Ralan Area

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The recent violence and arson in Ralan area have created lot of misconceptions and misgivings about the Lothas
inhabiting the area. To set the record straight, the issue here is one of tenancy problem and not border problem as
perceived especially by the Assamese media.

It may be recalled that the temporary Adivasi settlements in Ralan area have been the ancestral land of the Lotha
Nagas villages under Ralan area cultivated rapeseed & mustard and other crops in these areas since time
immemorial. However, by the 1970s some Adivasis came into this area as labourers. They remained as tenants
paying taxes to the landlords. Gradually this group swelled into numbers and before the Ralan area people could
react, they started building villages and stopped paying taxes to the Lotha landlords. The problem compounded when
the Adivasis of the area harboured the terrorist organization AANLA some years back and started to threaten the
peace loving people of the area. It reached intolerable heights when these emboldened Adivasis backed by AALNA
/maoist group blank fired indiscriminately well within the village premises of Tontangolanrhu last month. The Ralan
area people only reacted when the Adivasis went too far by surrounding Ronsuyan village on 12th August 2014 and
managed to burn few houses of the village located adjacent to CRPF camp

To trace the root of this Adivasi problem, they first came and settled in Assam as tea labourers in 1880s. Assamese
tea planters have no doubt benefitted from their labour not forgetting the British. However, as these group swelled in
numbers, not all could be accommodated in the tea gardens and they spread out in search for greener pastures
occupying even forest reserves. How can one forget the action taken by Assam Forest Force to eliminate 59 Adivasi
villages from the Lung sung Forest Reserve of Kokrajhar district in October 2010 by razing them to ground. They
were neither compensated nor rehabilitated. And now that the Adivasi population have crossed 70 lakhs ie. 20% of
Assam population, the government is trying to push them toward the borders of and within Nagaland. Ethnic
cleansing by the Bodos have also compelled the Adivasis to drift towards our border. . It is estimated that there are
around 40 lakh Adivasis along the entire stretch of Assam Nagaland border

The Assam government and media is well aware of this fact. But they are feigning ignorance as far as the Adivasi
problem in Ralan area is concerned, and making it a border issue. Assam government and media should be level
headed while addressing this issue instead of aggravating it by making false propaganda and feeding wrong
information to the centre.

The centre must also realize that these Adivasis can only be rehabilitated from where they have come i.e
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, MP and Bengal. These states must share equal responsibility because partly the
Adivasis have been uprooted from their forest settlements in the name of industrial development and no rehabilitation
was given whatsoever. And the north east region should never be considered as dumping ground for these homeless
people

As for the people of Ralan area, we are law abiding citizens of India and we are simply honoring article 371 A of the
Indian constitution whereby we Nagas have been given absolute rights over our land and natural resources. And
since our traditional lands have been under threat from the Maoist Adivasis, we were compelled to take whatever
actions were necessary. The question of resettlement of the Maoist backed Adivasis in our area does not arise at all
and if they intend to do so, they will have to bear the consequences and take the onus of inciting violence.

Rallo Patton
Ralan village, Wokha District