Dibrugarh sees massive protest as tea tribes, Adivasis demand ST tag, land rights
Protest paralyses district - tea estates shut, classrooms empty & roads choked with rallying workers
A file image of a protest by tea workers in Dibrugarh on October 13. (AT Photo)
Dibrugarh, Oct 13: A massive protest erupted in Dibrugarh on Monday as the tea community and Adivasis took to the streets demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, higher daily wages and land rights.
With an estimated two to three lakh participants, the rally, held at Chowkidinghee Chariali, witnessed unprecedented mobilisation from across the district, shaking the heart of Assam’s tea town with chants and slogans calling for recognition and reforms.
(AT Photo)
The protest was jointly organised by the All Assam Tea Tribe Students’ Association (AATTSA), Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS), All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA), Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (ASA), All Assam Tea Community National Assembly and the 36 Janajati Parishad (Council of 36 tribes).
“Today at 1 PM in Chowkidinghee Chariali, with the support of ACMS, ATTSA, AASAA, 36 Janajati Parishad and others, we staged a democratic demonstration. There are nearly two to three lakh supporters here and our demands are simple—increase in daily wage to Rs 551, recognition of the communities as Scheduled Tribes, and land rights,” one demonstrator told the press.
Protesters rallied peacefully from three points—Mankota field, Barpathar field, and MJBT ground—before converging at Chowkidinghee field from 10 am onwards.
Another protester added, “From Dibrugarh we send a message to the Assam government and the Centre: tea workers and the Adivasi community are awake. If our demands aren’t met before 2026, we will, without hesitation, treat the BJP as we did the Congress.”
(AT Photo)
In the wake of the protest, all tea gardens in Dibrugarh remained closed for the day and several educational institutions declared holidays or saw extremely low attendance due to transport disruption.
The rally, though large in scale, remained peaceful, with organisers repeatedly urging demonstrators to maintain calm and discipline. No incidents of violence were reported till the time of writing this report.
The demonstration comes just days after a similar protest shook Tinsukia on October 8. Organised by several student and community organisations including the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS), Assam Chah Janajati Chhatra Sanstha, Adivasi Student Associations, and various women's groups, the protest saw participation from tens of thousands of people across Tinsukia.