GUWAHATI, MAY 29: A historically important European cemetery in the northern Assam town of Tezpur, set up in 1827 by European settlers during the British rule, is now under threat of being buried by a government proposal to construct a shopping complex over it.

According to Gregory Horo, Assam State secretary of the All-India Catholic Union, the Assam Government by a recent order had directed district authorities to take over the 4.5 bigha cemetery for the construction of a market complex and a car park.

Set up a year after Assam was annexed to the British Empire, the cemetery assumes historic importance because it contains the tombs of several people who made valuable contributions to the State at the time of the British Empire. One among them is Charles Alexander Bruce, the eldest of the two Bruce brothers, who discovered tea growing wild in Assam in 1835. This tomb today is a part of the itinerary of every British tourist who comes to Assam.

Having a capacity to hold about 500 tombs, of which at least 50 belong to British planters, administrators and adventurers of the pre-Independence era, the European cemetery receives regular contributions from the British High Commission in India for its maintenance.

Horo contends that the British High Commission is still the legitimate owner of the cemetery, and says a certificate issued by it in December 1994 is proof of this. ``According to records held at this office, the Presbyterian Church, Church of Epiphany, Tezpur, is the caretaker in-charge of the Christian cemetery, Tezpur authorised to maintain it on behalf of the British High Commission in India,'' the certificate, dated December 19, 1994, states.Meanwhile, the Government's move to replace the cemetery with a market complex has enraged the Christian community in Assam, with Horo himself campaigning for a nation-wide protest against it. However, the Shonitpur district administration has denied that there was any move to construct a market complex over the cemetery.

But the Deputy Commissioner, talking to The Indian Express admitted there was a similar move in November last year ``but that order of the Government was stayed immediately after the Christian community lodged a protest.''This denial has, however, not satisfied the Christian community in the State. State Opposition Leader and senior Congressman Silvious Condpan said he had been repeatedly urging the Government not to take such a decision. Zoiinath Sharma, the State Revenue Minister, was not available for comments.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.