Diphu is the capital town of the Karbi Anglong district in Assam, India A small, quaint town with a

nascent history of over a century. Diphu speaks for both the indigenous and modern, sights of bright
colours and greenery, bustling day time markets and serene, quiet nights. Housing indigenous culture
of the Karbi tribes through textiles, Diphu is also a cultural epicentre, crucial for information and
documentation.

The Karbi Anglong District is situated in the central part, of Assam. The Karbis, formerly known as the
‘Mikirs’ are a dominant tribe mostly concentrated within the hill district of Karbi Anglong. They
belong to the Tibeto-Burman group.

The Karbis have a long, and ancient history from the time of the pre-Christian era onwards. The
Karbis were first represented in the Simon Commission in 1929, following which they were fighting
for the special protection under a united roof. Through a long and united struggle,

Prior to the pre-British rule in North East India, the territory of Karbi Anglong was never properly or
scientifically demarcated; and it was also not a part of any properly established external government
or kingdom. There could be some suppression and occupation here and there by their neighbouring
people groups or kingdoms, but there are no plausible historical evidences to support the claims that
the people of Karbi Anglong as a whole were under an external dominion. The British, under their
subjugation, constituted and declared the land of the Karbi people as a ‘Scheduled District’ in 1874.
Later, Mikir Hills track was constituted as "Partially Excluded areas" under the Govt. of India Act,
1935. In the year 1937, political leaders such Semsonsing Ingti, Seng Bey and Khorsing Terang in a
memorandum to Assam Governor, Sir Robert Neil Reid, demanded a separate hill district for Mikirs. A
regional political forum, called Karbi-A-Durbar, was formed to intensify the movement. Post
independence On November 17, 1951, now defunct United Mikir Hills and North Cachar Hills district
was created by combining some parts of the districts of the now Golaghat, Nagaon, Cachar and
United Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills district of present-day Meghalaya state. This was followed by
bifurcation of the erstwhile district of United Mikir and North Cachar Hills into two separate districts
— Mikir Hills district and North Cachar Hills district — on 2 February 1970. Mikir Hills district was
renamed as Karbi Anglong district on 14 October 1976.
Semsonsing Ingti was an Indian social and economic reformer and author, who played a crucial
role in the formation of Karbi Anglong district. He has been called the Father of the Karbi people,
for his work in uniting the Karbi, an indigenous ethnic group in Northeast India concentrated in
the state of Assam.