Mising Ba:ne Kebang revived

GUWAHATI, May 4 ? Mising Ba:ne Kebang, the apex council of the Mising people of Assam and Arunachal, which remained defunct since 1994 after the Bilmukh incident, has been revived by Mising people at a special convention held on April 27 and 28 at Gogamukh in Dhemaji district. Mising Ba:ne Kebang is the oldest and largest organisation of the Mising people and was formed in the pre-independence period in 1924 under the presidentship of Sri Sri Pitambar Dev Goswami, the Satradhikar of Gormur Satra. Eminent persons of Assam like English Officer Tolstoy, ex-Chief Minister late Sir Sadullah, late Bimola Prashad Chaliha, late Rajani Kanta Bordoloi, late Sarbeswar Bora and Mohibuddin Ahmed have decorated the chair of MBK in the past. In 1966, the then Prime Minister of India late Indira Gandhi was the chief guest of MBK session at Kulajan, Dhemaji. But, in 1994, when MBK decided to welcome the govt proposal for boundaryless autonomy at its Bilmukh conference, majority Mising organisations and Mising people strongly opposed it which led to police firing upon protest demonstration killing two persons. Since then, MBK remained defunct without any conference being held. Now after seven long years, MBK has been revived at the special convention of Gogamukh, where cutting across party line and ideology, all sections of Mising people participated in large number. More than 500 delegates including all ex-presidents of MBK, political leaders like Smti Ranee Narah, MP. Rajib Pegu, MLA, ex-Minister ? Sri Gomeswar Pegu, ex-speaker of Assam Assembly ? Sri Ganesh Kutum, ex-MP Sri Bolin Kuli, the central leaders of TMPK-MMK and representatives from other Mising organisations took part and elected Sri Debeswar Pegu as President and Sri Bandhuram Pawegam as Vice-President in a democratically held election. The delegates session passed an unanimous resolution demanding inclusion of the Mising Autonomous Council into the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and immediate holding of elections to the MAC. Besides, the MBK session passed resolutions demanding proper compensation and rehabilitation to the peasants to be affected by the construction of Bogibeel bridge, withdrawal of eviction operation against flood affected people in forest areas, permanent land settlement to the tribal people, declaration of flood and erosion problem as a national problem etc.