Assam: Traders protest in Makum over alleged illegal tax collection and threats

Tension gripped the Makum Bagan Tiniali Daily Market under the Kumarpatty Gaon Panchayat in the Margherita Regional Panchayat today, as traders and shopkeepers staged a protest against what they claim to be excessive and illegal tax collection by the current market leaseholder.

The business community has alleged that the leaseholder, in collaboration with a group of miscreants, has been using threats and intimidation to forcefully collect taxes from vendors. Traders further claimed that refusal to comply with these tax demands has resulted in threats of shop vandalism and harassment.

In response, the entire market remained shut today as shopkeepers united in protest, staging a demonstration in front of the market premises.

Among those present was Pranjal Baraik, Assistant Publicity Secretary of the Central Executive Committee of the All Adivasi Students' Association of Assam (ATTSA), who publicly raised serious concerns about the tendering process of the market. Baraik questioned how a market allegedly absent from official government records was tendered, implicating Panchayat Secretary and one Rajendra Rai in the alleged illegal tender process.

The protesting traders submitted a written complaint to Margherita Block Development Officer Rohit Kumar Yadav, calling for immediate withdrawal of the current lease. They have warned of intensifying the agitation and taking their protest to the streets if their demands are not met and corrective action is not taken promptly.