Assam Accord Clause 6: Aasu releases ‘confidential’ report

Bogged down by delay by New Delhi in taking note of recommendations of the high-powered committee on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, the All Assam Students’ Union (Aasu), which was a part of the Centre’s high-level committee on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, here on Tuesday released the confidential report, saying that the public has the right to know the contents.

The Aasu leaders and another committee member and senior advocate Nilay Dutta, who is also the advocate general of Arunachal Pradesh, told reporters that they are releasing it only because the “government is just sitting idle”. Regretting that it has been more than five months since the high power committee submitted the report but there is simply no action from the government, AASU chief advisor Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharya said, “People are asking us daily what happened to our report. We have finally decided to release it as the people have the right to know.”

The Clause 6 of the Assam Accord proposes to provide constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, to protect, preserve and promote the culture, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.

The committee in its recommendation has also proposed that those who are living in Assam since January 1951 and their descendants should be treated as “Assamese”. It is significant that since the signing of the Assam Accord the definition of Assamese people has been the bone of contention.

The high-level committee on the implementation of Clause 6, headed by Justice (retd) B K Sharma, had submitted the report on February 25, to chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal for handing it over to Union home minister Amit Shah.