Assam: ARSU leads mass protest for the inclusion of RHAC in Sixth Schedule in Boko, warns of political retaliation

The All Rabha Students' Union (ARSU) organized a mass gathering protest demanding the inclusion of Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC) in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. The meeting, which was held in Suwaori Field in Boko, was attended by over 10,000 people from the Kamrup district RHAC area. The Sixth Schedule Demand Committee (SSDC) and All Rabha Women Council (ARWC) also joined the ARSU in organizing the gathering.

During his welcome address, Pradip Rabha, the General Secretary of ARSU, slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for their fake promises of including RHAC in the Sixth Schedule. He warned that if the BJP-led government does not respond to their demands, they are ready to take revenge through political means and intense agitation.

The Rabha accord was signed in 1995, and it has been almost 27 years since then. However, many governments have deprived the Rabha people of their inclusion in the Sixth Schedule. Pradip Rabha presided over the meeting and reiterated the importance of the inclusion of RHAC in the Sixth Schedule.

Nripen Khanda, President of ARSU, Tankeswar Rabha, Chief Executive Member of RHAC, and Aditya Khakhlary, General Secretary of Coordination Committee of Tribal Organization of Assam (CCTOA), along with many other leaders and executive members, took part in the mass gathering.

Nripen Khanda criticized the BJP-led government for betraying their promises to include RHAC in the Sixth Schedule. He warned the BJP workers and the only BJP MLA under the RHAC area to be careful if they do not provide the constitutional rights of the Rabha people as soon as possible. He alleged that the BJP-led government is a liar and they will project their candidates in the upcoming general and other elections to defeat the BJP party.

Tankeswar Rabha, Chief Executive Member of RHAC, spoke about the need for Sixth Schedule status, highlighting that the tribal people, including Rabha, Boro, Garo, and other communities, have been living in the forest area since before the independence of India. However, now, the government has started evicting their people in the name of forest reserve area. He added that if the RHAC area has Sixth Schedule status, such incidents will never happen with them.

Tankeswar Rabha also mentioned that the RHAC area has qualified for the Sixth Schedule status in the recent Assembly session. He emphasized that the government should fulfill their demand for inclusion in the Sixth Schedule.

The ARSU and the other organizations vowed to continue their protest rallies until the government fulfills their demand. They will start a walking protest rally from Dudhnoi to Guwahati Judge's Playground, which is approximately 120 kilometers, and many other protest rallies after the Rongali Bihu Festival.