Silchar: The Barak Democratic Front (BDF) has strongly condemned comments made by Mukteswar Kemprai, President of the Dimasa Writers’ Forum, who recently opposed the proposed renaming of Silchar Railway Station as “Bhasha Shahid Station” and referred to the 1961 language martyrs as “Bangladeshis” and “outsiders.” The remarks have triggered widespread anger across the Barak Valley.

Addressing a press conference at the BDF office in Silchar on Monday, Chief Convener Pradip Dutta Roy said the statement was not just historically incorrect but deeply insulting to the memory of the martyrs. “Those who were martyred in 1961 were around 25 years old on average, which means they were born before India’s Independence. At that time, India was undivided and Bangladesh did not even exist. Calling them Bangladeshis only exposes ignorance of history,” he said.

Dutta Roy alleged that the Barak Valley has long faced discrimination in the name of D-notices, NRC, detention, delimitation, and Assembly seat cuts, and now an attack on the language martyrs has been added to that list. He further claimed that both Dispur and certain “local agents” were complicit in attempts to insult the Barak Valley’s legacy.

He reminded that before 1874, the Barak region was part of the Bengal Presidency, and Bengalis have lived in this area long before the arrival of the Dimasa people. “There is no reason to take such comments from fringe organizations seriously,” he said.

The BDF leader, however, emphasized that relations between the Bengali and Dimasa communities have always been cordial. He said he maintains regular communication with leaders from Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong, who have assured him that they would remain part of a Greater Barak if the valley ever becomes a separate state.

According to him, the Dimasa leadership had earlier clarified that they had no objection to naming the station “Bhasha Shahid Station.”

Dutta Roy alleged that the controversy has been artificially created after the Asam Sahitya Sabha began showing interest in the renaming process. He appreciated MPs Parimal Suklabaidya and MLAs Dipayan Chakraborty and Kaushik Rai for their support and urged other public representatives to stand up for Barak’s interests.

BDF Media Cell Convenor Joydeep Bhattacharjee also spoke at the press meet. He said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, during his recent visit to Barak Valley, had informed that the government had already sent a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the Centre regarding the renaming. However, some groups had also submitted alternative proposals, leading to delays.

Bhattacharjee pointed out that in 2017, both the Union Home and Rail Ministries had approved the proposal and directed the State Government to issue a Gazette Notification. “Till 2017, not a single organization had objected. Only when the matter began progressing did some groups suddenly start opposing it — this clearly shows a planned attempt to delay the process,” he said.

Since both the Central and State governments are led by the BJP, Bhattacharjee said the renaming could be completed immediately if there is political will. He urged the government to act without further delay and appealed to members of the Dimasa community to reject divisive elements and uphold the long-standing harmony between the two communities.

Others present at the press conference included Haradhan Dutta and Sajal Deb Roy.

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