Mrinal Miri included in MHA-constituted panel on Assam Accord

GUWAHATI: Accepting the demand of making the 13-member high level committee to examine the effectiveness of actions taken since 1985 to implement Clause 6 of the Assam Accord more board based, the government has included academician Mrinal Miri in the panel.

Tribal organisations have demanded for making the panel more board based.

A senior officer in Assam government who do not want to be named told ET, “Miri has been made part of the committee of Clause 6 team for the implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord. Mrinal Miri has accepted it.”


Congress party and All Assam Students Union have asked Centre to make the high level committee to implement Clause 6 of Assam board based.

The first meeting of committee was held in New Delhi on July 24 last.

The earlier committee constituted in January this year remained nonstarter.

Clause 6 provides for constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to protect the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people

The present committee is headed by Justice (retd) Biplab Kumar Sarma, former judge of Gauhati High Court. The members are Ramesh Borpatragohain, Advocate General, Assam; Niloy Dutta, Advocate General, Arunachal Pradesh; Subhash Das, IAS (retd); Pallab Bhattacharya, IPS (retd); Dr Srishtidhar Dutta, retired professor; Sumanta Chaliha, author and columnist; Dr Jaikanta Sharma, professor and columnist; Wasbir Hussain, senior journalist; Samujjal Bhattacharya, chief adviser, AASU; Dipanka Kumar Nath, president, AASU; and Lurinjyoti Gogoi, general secretary, AASU. The Joint Secretary, North East, Ministry of Home Affairs will act as member secretary of the committee.

The committee will assess the appropriate level of reservation of seats in Assam Legislative Assembly and local bodies for the Assamese people.

The committee will also suggest measures to be taken to protect the Assamese and other indigenous languages of Assam. The committee will also recommend the appropriate level of reservation in employment under the Government of Assam for the Assamese people. It will also suggest any other measures as may be necessary to protect, preserve and promote cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people. The committee will submit its report within six months from the date of notification.