Six ethnic communities protest for ST status in Guwahati, burn effigies over broken promises
Guwahati, Sept 4: The demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for six ethnic communities in Assam spilled onto the streets of Guwahati on Wednesday, as members of various organisations staged a demonstration in Dispur Supermarket.
Protestors, chanting slogans such as “No ST, No Rest” and “Fulfil Our Demand,” burned effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Members of the six communities—Adivasi/Tea Tribes, Tai Ahom, Moran, Matak, Chutia, and Koch-Rajbongshi—also criticised both the state and Central governments for their alleged indifference to the issue.
“After the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the Centre promised us ST status, but to this day, even after coming into power for the third consecutive term, that demand has not been met,” Mohen Bora, president of the All Assam Chutia Students Union, told The Assam Tribune.
Bora highlighted the governments’ indifference, going so far as to call the Prime Minister a “liar.”
“They (the governments) are not paying any heed to our demands. The Prime Minister is a liar; he promised us tribal status within six months of coming into power. But it’s been 10 years now, and no actions have been taken in this regard,” Bora added.
The demonstration prompted police to arrive at the scene to assess the situation, leading to the detention of four protesters.
Wednesday's demonstration in Guwahati is part of a broader plan by the six communities to stage protests across the state.
In Biswanath, similar scenes unfolded at Biswanath Chariali Clock Tower, where hundreds of protesters from the aforementioned communities rallied against the government’s lackadaisical attitude toward their demands.
Accusing the Prime Minister and Chief Minister Sarma of “ignoring” their demands, one protester said, “Each time they have promised to grant us ST status, it has all been in vain. Until our demands are fulfilled, we will not rest, and we will keep protesting.”
The issue of granting ST status to these communities dates back to 2014 when the Prime Minister, shortly after winning the General Elections, promised to address their demands in a speech.
Modi had also criticised the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for neglecting the issue for so long.
Notably, all the six communities meet the five criteria for ST classification, which include evidence of primitive traits, distinctive culture, geographic isolation, reluctance to contact with the general population, and backwardness, according to central government norms.
In 2019, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) had approved that these communities possess the characteristics qualifying them for inclusion in the ST list of Assam.
However, the government has reportedly been delaying the decision out of concern for potential backlash from other tribes who have expressed resentment over the new inclusions.
