Ethnicity, Identity and Question of Autonomy in Western Assam: A Study of the Kamatapur Autonomous Council (KAC)

The creation of ethnocentric autonomous councils to administer the hill tribes of Northeast India has remained contested since its introduction soon after independence. While the autonomy provision based on ‘self-determination’ ensures social, economic and cultural security to an ethnic community, it has also been alleged to exclude other groups from enjoying similar rights. This article examines the formation of the Kamatapur Autonomous Council (KAC), mandated for the Koch-Rajbanshi community of the erstwhile Goalpara district of western Assam as part of the growing demands of autonomous councils in the state. By analysing political and economic changes that took place in the region at different historical periods, it explains the underlying factors behind Koch-Rajbanshi identity aspirations and the course of the autonomy movement. Further, an attempt has also been made to analyse how, as an alternative arrangement, the autonomous council raises questions on Indian federalism, the nation-building process and centralised governance. Drawing on both primary and secondary sources, the article explores the possibilities and paradoxes involved with the autonomy status and how similar demands raised by different ethnic groups resulted in conflicting interests and territorial contestations in western Assam. The article concludes with policy recommendations and the challenges of their formulation in such a diverse region.