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| Girls walk past the rampart on Friday. Picture by S.H. Patgiri |
April 22: History says the Momai Kota Garh was built in a night to ward off the Mughals by legendary Ahom general Lachit Barphukan in the 17th century. He even beheaded his uncle because he was dragging his feet on the rampart.
The rampart, the only remnant of the historical Sara-ighat battle, withstood the vagaries of time for more than 250 years. But thanks to government negligence, it is now crumbling and crumbling fast.
A cabinet sub-committee headed by AGP president Brindaban Goswami in an interim report prepared in the late nineties had suggested the preservation of the historical monument in Jalukbari. But the subsequent governments failed to take any step to save the relic from the clutches of encraochers till date.
?The sub-committee had studied its history and reached the conclusion that it was the very fort constructed by Ahom general Lachit Barphukan to ward off Mughal invaders in the early 17th century and recommended its preservation. But the people who have settled in the area are opposed to it. Subsequently, the sub-committee was dissolved with the dissolution of the Assembly and since then nothing has been done to protect the ancient structure,? Goswami said.
Goswami had recommended the preservation of the rampart under the provision of the Ancient Monuments and Records Act, 1959.
A source said at a meeting held in Dispur way back on December 8, 1977, it had also been decided to preserve the monument but could not be done because of the political clout the encroachers enjoyed.
The meeting was convened after students of Gauhati University, under the banner of Independent Student Organisation, submitted a memorandum to the state government demanding the preservation of the site. The meeting was attended by then secretary of education department, M.P. Bezbaruah, on behalf of the government.
It was decided at the meeting that the rampart should be preserved as a historical site or monument by issuing suitable notification by the state archaeology department. ?Though the archaeology department had also submitted a proposal to include the monument in the list of protected archaeological sites, the state government has refrained from doing so because of vested political interests and pressure from some influential people,? a source said.