DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2020.v08i02.003

Pages: 65-73

The Hajong is a numerically small ethnic tribe of Northeast India with its own rich culture, religion, social customs and traditions. The evidence of the early history of the Hajong tribe is extremely thin. The aboriginal dwelling places of the Hajong are found in Goalpara of Assam in North, Sylhet in South-East of present Bangladesh and in Garo Hills district of Meghalaya. The highest numbers of concentration of Hajong inhibition were found in the hilly areas of North Mymensing district. At the time of partition of the country, the entire Hajong inhabitated areas were annexed with the East-Pakistan. Like many other tribes, the Hajong community became the political victim of the bifurcation of the country. The Hajong tribe which remained in East Pakistan (present Bangladesh) was displaced massively. They were oppressed and suppressed by the majority groups on the one hand and put atrocities by the Government forces of erstwhile Pakistan on the other. Finding no shelter, majority of the Hajong tribe along with other community had left East Pakistan and took shelter in India as refugee. In 1964, about 30,000 Hajong refugees were migrated to India. The Hajongs who were rehabilitated in Arunachal Pradesh, especially in Changlang district are deprived of citizenship rights. The main objective of this article is to identify the causes behind the large scale migration of the Hajong tribe into undivided Assam. The materials for the article are drawn from primary as well as secondary sources like contemporary documents, field investigations, and oral interview with knowledgeable person having information about the Hajong history, polity and society.