Protests broke out in Assam’s Tamulpur district on Thursday as Koch Rajbongshi organisations intensified their long-standing demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, accusing both the Centre and the State government of failing to fulfil their promises.
Members of the All Koch Rajbongshi Students’ Union (AKRASU) staged demonstrations on the India-Bhutan highway, where they burned effigies of Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram and Assam Tribal Affairs Minister Ranoj Pegu. Protesters raised slogans demanding immediate grant of ST status to the Koch Rajbongshi community.
The agitators alleged that despite repeated assurances during elections, the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Assam had failed to resolve the issue. They also questioned the role of BJP legislators belonging to the Koch Rajbongshi community, claiming they had not effectively represented the community’s concerns.
Warning of a stronger agitation in the coming days, AKRASU leaders said the community’s patience was running out and accused the governments of misleading them on the issue.
The fresh protests come weeks after Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, during his visit to Assam on June 30, said that the proposal to grant ST status to six communities would take more time as it requires a detailed constitutional process under Article 342 involving multiple authorities.
Addressing the matter in the Assam Legislative Assembly on July 14, Tribal Affairs Minister Ranoj Pegu said the state-level ministerial committee had completed its examination and submitted its report without altering the core proposal for ST status, including the proposed ST (Valley) category.
Pegu said the recommendations sought by Moran and Motok organisations regarding their ethnographic descriptions had been incorporated. However, the revised proposal could not be forwarded earlier due to the Assembly election process. He added that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has approved the amendments, and the revised proposal will now be sent to the Centre following due procedure.
Responding to concerns over Jual Oram’s remarks, Pegu clarified that the Union minister had not rejected the proposal but had only indicated that there was little possibility of introducing the Bill during the upcoming session of Parliament. He maintained that the demand for ST status continues to remain under consideration.
