Koch-Rajbongshis Community:
Assam to withdraw foreigner tribunal cases against indigenous Koch-Rajbongshi community.
- The Koch-Rajbongshi community is an ethnic group primarily found in the northeastern region of India, particularly in the states of Assam, West Bengal, and parts of Meghalaya.
- They are a blend of two historically distinct communities: the Koch and Rajbongshi.
- While these groups share cultural similarities and have had a long history of coexistence, they also retain some distinct identities.
- The community is seeking recognition as a Scheduled Tribe in Assam and other states to access government welfare and legal protections
- The Koches were a group of people who once ruled parts of what is now Assam, Bengal, and Bihar.
- They are thought to have descended from the ancient Kachari Kingdom, which ruled the region for centuries before being absorbed by the Ahoms in Assam.
- The Koches were originally a Mongoloid ethnic group, and they are believed to have gradually merged with the local communities over time.
- The Rajbongshi people were originally a part of the Koch dynasty, but later developed a distinct identity.
- Over time, they spread into regions of Bengal and Assam.
- They were part of the Bengali-speaking people in the past and often associated with the agricultural and peasant classes.
