‘No ST, No Rest’: Thousands of Tai-Ahoms hold torchlight rally in Charaideo, warn BJP of boycott

Thousands of members of Assam’s Tai-Ahom community took to the streets of Charaideo district on Tuesday evening, staging a massive torchlight protest to press for their long-pending demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.

The rally, organised by several Tai-Ahom organisations including the Tai Ahom Yuba Parishad, Assam (TAYPA) and the All Tai Ahom Students’ Union (ATASU), saw demonstrators march from various parts of Moran town to the main playground at Ushanagar, shouting slogans of “No ST, No Rest”.

Addressing the gathering, TAYPA president Diganta Tamuly warned that the community would not hesitate to “boycott the BJP” in the 2026 Assembly elections if the government failed to grant ST status. “For over a decade, since 2014, we have waited for the BJP to fulfill its promise. We will not tolerate this betrayal any longer,” he said, adding that the Tai-Ahoms would deliver a strong political message through the ballot if ignored.

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The Tai-Ahom community holds significant electoral influence across Upper Assam — including Sivasagar, Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Golaghat, Tinsukia, Dhemaji, and Lakhimpur districts — making their demand a politically sensitive issue.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has stated that the report by the Group of Ministers (GoM) on granting ST status to six communities — Moran, Motok, Chutia, Tai-Ahom, Koch-Rajbongshi, and Tea Tribes — will be tabled during the upcoming Winter Session of the Assembly beginning November 25.

The Tai-Ahom rally follows a series of similar protests in recent months, including torchlight processions by the Motok and Tea Tribe communities in Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, and Sadiya, all demanding that the state deliver on its decade-old promise of Scheduled Tribe recognition.