Guwahati, July 3: Tensions are rising among the more than 25,000 Khasi residents in Assam’s Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts, who say they have endured decades of neglect and systemic discrimination by both the Assam government and the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC).
Despite being among the earliest inhabitants of the region, the Khasi community — including subgroups such as Kherwang Nongtung Labang, Nongpyllut, Pnar, Nongtriang, and Synteng — remains unrecognized and unrepresented. “We have been here long before the district was even formed, yet we are treated like outsiders,” said Pynshngainlang Rattane, president of the United Khasi People’s Organisation (UKPO), Karbi Anglong Central Committee.
The Khasi people, whose roots in the area predate the creation of the Mikir Hills (now Karbi Anglong district), were active participants in the movement to establish a separate administrative region in the 1940s, working alongside prominent leaders such as Semson Sing Ingti and Sarsing Teron Langkung Habe. Yet, in the 74 years since KAAC’s formation, no Khasi representative has ever been elected as a Member of the Autonomous Council (MAC).
This exclusion has fueled a growing sense of betrayal. “Our people have been left without basic rights, representation, or recognition,” Rattane added. Community members have long suffered from poor healthcare, education, and infrastructure, and many now live in deteriorating conditions. Frustrated by bureaucratic apathy, some have even boycotted council elections.
While Chief Executive Member (CEM) Tuliram Ronghang has promised development projects such as a Khasi Community Hall at Amri and Chinthong and a Khasi Bhawan in Diphu, none of these have materialized. The community now views these announcements as empty rhetoric.
Repeated appeals to KAAC and government officials have gone unanswered or been dismissed outright. “Our community is like orphans in our own land,” said one community leader. “We demand the rights and recognition we deserve.”
As the KAAC celebrates its 74th anniversary, the Khasi people of Karbi Anglong remain sidelined. Their call is clear: justice, inclusion, and the basic amenities owed to any indigenous community.
