KSDC stages massive protest in Kokrajhar, renews call for separate state & ST status
The council also called for an immediate tripartite meeting involving the Centre, the Assam government, and the KLO to address their long-pending grievances.
KSDC protest in Kokrajhar on Friday
Kokrajhar, Oct 10: The Kamatapur State Demand Council (KSDC) on Friday staged a massive protest rally in Kokrajhar, reigniting its long-standing demand for the creation of a separate Kamatapur state and Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Koch-Rajbongshi community.
The council also called for an immediate tripartite meeting involving the Centre, the Assam government, and the Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) to address their long-pending grievances.
The rally, which began from the Dimlagao public playground, was led by KSDC Kokrajhar district president Baniram Barman.
Hundreds of protesters carrying banners and shouting slogans marched through the streets of Kokrajhar before converging at the Block Development Officer’s office in Titaguri.
They submitted a memorandum addressed to the Union Home Minister, Prime Minister, and President of India through the local administration.
“The patience of our people is running out. Just as the government held talks with the NDFB and BLT, it must now initiate dialogue with the KLO to resolve the issues concerning Kamatapur and grant ST status to our community. Otherwise, our protest will intensify - Assam will burn, and both the Centre and the state will be responsible,” warned Barman during the rally.
The memorandum urged the Central and state governments to recognize the cultural and political aspirations of the Koch-Rajbongshi community, noting that the community has long felt marginalized and ignored despite repeated assurances.
Barman also issued a strong warning to the ruling BJP, saying that if the government continued to overlook their demands in the run-up to the 2026 Assam Assembly elections, the party would face a “befitting response” from the KSDC and the Koch-Rajbongshi community at the ballot box.
“We have waited long enough. If our voices remain unheard, we will make ourselves heard through the democratic process,” Barman said.
The protest marks a renewed escalation in the decades-old movement for Kamatapur statehood, which has remained a political flashpoint across lower Assam, north Bengal, and adjoining areas where the Koch-Rajbongshi population is concentrated.
The protest marks a renewed escalation in the decades-long movement for Kamatapur statehood, a persistent political flashpoint across lower Assam and adjoining districts.