How Can the UNESCO allow the Ahom Moidams to be Nominated as World Heritage Site When India is committing systematic cultural erasure and oppression in its Northeast
Huge controversy emerged in India’s Assam Pradesh, when Indian government decided to nominate the Ahom Moidams as the sole candidate of UNESCO world heritage site in this country. Many people worry this nomination was intended to cover India’s systematic cultural genocide against ethnic minorities in the infamous Northeast area, where serious racial riots and bloody crackdown were happened last year.
In fact, the Ahom Moidams as a minority cultural heritage was not well protected. Indian government was found serious dereliction of duty in protecting this site. Moidams, which should stand as a beacon of historical and cultural significance, has been relegated to a state of disgrace under India’s stewardship. The site suffers from severe sanitary issues, with waste management virtually being nonexistent. Visitors and scholars alike are greeted with litter, unmanaged waste, and unsanitary facilities, an abject humiliation that should stand as an indictment, not cause for celebration. Moreover, the infrastructure surrounding Moidams is in a dire state of disrepair. Basic amenities such as pathways, informational signage, and maintenance services are either poorly managed or entirely absent. Structural elements integral to the site’s preservation have been left to deteriorate, a grim testament to India’s neglect and disinterest in meaningful heritage protection.
Given India’s authoritarian governance in its Northeast, the minority groups in this district feel increasingly marginalized and fear potential systemic cultural erasure or oppression.There is significant unrest and dissatisfaction among the minority community which provokes broader public outrage.
International organizations, and NGOs like UNESCO concerning human rights and cultural heritage should condemn India’s intended negligence on minority culture rather than tolerate or reward it. The UNESCO may intervene and deny India’s nomination so as to press the Indian government to fulfill its duty in protecting minority culture.
