Bongaigaon, Aug. 26: The Biswajit Ray faction of All Koch-Rajbongshi Students' Union (AKRSU) will take legal action against a notice issued by a tribal group charging the Koch-Rajbongshi women of wearing dokhna (Bodo women's attire) instead of patani (Koch-Rajbongshi women's attire) in their cultural celebrations.

Karuna Kanta Basumatary, advocate, had issued a notice on behalf of Janajati Suraksha Mancha to AKRSU president Biswajit Ray on July 30. The AKRSU received the notice on August 14.

Basumatary said, "It has been observed by my client, Ashok Kumar Brahma, secretary, Janajati Suraksha Mancha, that you (AKRSU) are making your Koch-Rajbongshi women folk to wear dokhna instead of your traditional attire patani in your cultural celebrations. This practice of yours has posed a threat to the heritage and culture of the Bodos, hence, you are asked to file your response in this connection within 15 days of receiving the notice."

Ray has termed this legal notice "an insult to the Koch-Rajbongshi community" and said for the past few years, a few Bodo groups, writers, intellectuals and litterateurs have been claiming the community as Bodo, by quoting "fabricated" and "unfounded" historical references.

Citing examples, Ray showed a book - Bodoland, Back to the Future, by Dushyant Parasar and pointed out a photograph of Bidyapur Rajbari with the caption "Rajbari - remains of last Bodo king's palace at Bidyapur in Bongaigaon."

Ray said this was a false claim made by Bodo intellectuals. "Since Bodos have no sound historical base to back their demands of Bodoland, they have to take help from the history of Koch-Rajbongshis."