Guwahati: Representatives of Assam’s Goria, Moriya, Deshi, Syed, and Jolha Muslim communities gathered in Guwahati to press the state government for official recognition as indigenous groups. The meeting, held under the banner of the United Platform of these communities, brought together 20 organisations and several experts to discuss social and economic challenges.
The event, titled “Direction Setting: Identifying Problems, Solutions, and Future Roadmap,” was chaired by Nurul Haque, president of the All Assam Goria Moriya Deshi National Council. Participants included Dr. Syed Iftikar Ahmed, Padma Shri awardee Dr. Ilias Ali, Sheikh Hedayatullah, Imran Hussain, and Nagaland University Vice-Chancellor Dr. Samudra Gupta Kashyap. Seven sub-committees of the Assam Government, focused on population stabilisation, healthcare, education, skill development, women empowerment, financial inclusion, and cultural identity, shared their findings.
The forum urged the government to issue a gazette notification confirming the indigenous status of these groups, which had been announced earlier but not yet formalised. It also called for an early start to the socio-economic survey promised by the state, warning against delays that could undermine development.
Participants strongly opposed restrictions on land transactions that affect these communities, demanding that land sales and purchases among indigenous groups remain unrestricted. The meeting further sought the creation of a Legislative Council in Assam with reserved seats for indigenous Muslims, along with similar representation in the State Assembly.
The resolutions highlighted concerns over marginalisation and underrepresentation, while stressing the importance of government action to secure the rights of these communities.
