Reports on Bodo language removal from Assam Assembly logo spark protests in Kokrajhar

Protests were held in Kokrajhar on Friday after reports claimed that the Bodo language would be removed from the logo of the Assam Legislative Assembly, prompting demonstrations by the All Bodo Students' Union (BONSU) and criticism from the Bodo Sahitya Sabha.
 

BONSU members blackened Assamese text on signboards of shops and commercial establishments at several locations in Kokrajhar town, particularly along J.D. Road, in protest against the reported decision.
 

Speaking to reporters, BONSU leader Mononjoy Daimary alleged that the move amounted to an insult to the Bodo community, its language and cultural identity. He said the organisation would not accept such a decision and linked the issue to its longstanding demand for a separate Bodoland State, alleging repeated neglect of the Bodo people.
 

The reports also drew a response from Bodo Sahitya Sabha president Gopinath Borgoyary, who said the Bodo community would oppose any move to remove the language from the Assembly logo. He argued that if the General Purposes Committee (GPC) had not approved the inclusion of the Bodo language earlier, the approval could have been obtained subsequently. He added that decisions on such matters should be preceded by consultations, warning that unilateral action could affect peace and harmony.
 

The controversy followed media reports stating that the Bodo language had been incorporated into the Assembly logo without the approval of the General Purposes Committee and that this had led to the decision to remove it.
 

Later in the day, Assam Legislative Assembly Speaker Ranjit Kumar Das denied that any decision had been taken to remove the Bodo language from the logo.
 

Ranjit Kumar Das said the proposal under consideration was to include Hindi in the logo alongside Assamese, English and Bodo, and maintained that there was no move to exclude the Bodo language.
 

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma  also clarified that there is no proposal to withdraw the use of the Bodo language from the proceedings or any other official business of the Assam Legislative Assembly.