GUWAHATI, July 30: Tribal organisations from Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura under the banner of the National Federation for New States (NFNS) are set to stage a major sit-in protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar in August, pressing their long-standing demand for separate states carved out of tribal-majority regions. The protest aims to highlight the call for statehood for areas like Karbi Anglong (Assam), Garo Hills (Meghalaya), and parts of Tripura.
The decision was finalised during the NFNS national convention held in Shillong, where leaders from various regional organisations reiterated their collective demand for administrative autonomy and the creation of new states for indigenous communities.
NFNS vice president and Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) Deputy Chief Executive Member, Nikman Ch Marak, stated that the federation would seek a formal meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah after August 23. “We will go to Delhi to raise our voice for separate states for our people,” Marak said.
NFNS secretary Stalin Ingti added, “This is not a new demand. The tribal people of Karbi Anglong, Garo Hills, and Tripura have long sought their own states. The upcoming protest is a reaffirmation of our movement.” He highlighted Telangana’s successful statehood movement as a precedent, claiming that Northeast tribal communities have been consistently overlooked.
The protest is being backed by several regional groups including the Garo Hills State Movement Committee, Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), Hill State People’s Socialist Party (HSPSP), and the Joint Action Committee for Autonomous State (JACAS) of Karbi Anglong. NFNS has also been mobilising support through meetings in Tura, Karbi Anglong, Delhi, Vidarbha, and Tripura.
The NFNS represents a wider coalition of regional autonomy movements from across India, including those in Jharkhand, Bundelkhand, Vidarbha, and Ladakh, all seeking recognition and administrative restructuring to better represent indigenous and regional aspirations.
