Unsung Heroes Detail

Moje Riba was born at Dari village in Lepa Rada district of Arunachal Pradesh. He was the son of Gomo Riba. Moje was the most respected and elder person in the village. Moje had gained lots of knowledge and exposure during his trading trips to Assam during his youth days. This not only made him well versed with the Assamese language but also exposed him to the Indian National Movement that was going on in India. British officials ill-treated and discriminated against Galo people in developmental activities and trading rights in Assam. Further, the forceful recruitment of Galo people as porters during the second world war by the British official embittered his ill feeling towards British rule. So Moje along with other leaders met at Dari village and decided to oppose British rule. He went to Dibrugarh and met Lalit Hazarika, the Secretary Dibrugarh Congress to get his guidance and support. A Conference was organized at Dipa village in 1946. Moje Riba was made the President of the Dipa Congress Committee. He toured many villages and distributed Congress flags, caps, and pamphlets among the people and motivated the people against British rule. This alarmed P.L.S. James, the Assistant Political Officer, Pasighat who ordered the arrest of Moje and others. Moje along with others was brought to Pasighat and was arrested and kept in jail for more than two months. Akber Hydari, the Governor of Assam visited Pasighat and advised James to release the Congress activists. Moje settled in his village and was appointed as the Gam and the President of Bogum Boka. He was awarded TAMRA PATRA in 1974 at Shillong by K. A. A. Raja, and then Chief Commissioner of Assam. The great soul passed away on 22 January 1980.