Tiwa, Rabha and Mising communities stage protest demanding ST status 

Guwahati, February 18, 2019:

The Tiwa Autonomous Council, Mising Autonomous Council and Rabha Hasong Autonomous council on Monday staged a democratic protest in Guwahati demanding immediate inclusion of these tribes under the sixth-schedule status of the Indian Constitution under Article 244(2) and 275 (1) with similar protection to non-tribal as given to the tribes in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC).

The protestor speaking to InsideNE said, “We are not safe in our own indigenous land. We have no identity of our language, no identity of our own cultures. We don’t mind giving the ST status to our own brothers from different tribes, but the government at the same time need to protect the indigenous tribes of the state”.

The representatives of the tribal communities have threatened the Government that, they will carry out massive protest in each and every zones of the state to aware the indigenous tribal people of the state.

It may be mentioned that the six indigenous communities of Assam i.e., Koch Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom, Chutia, Matak, Moran and Tea Tribes has been demanding ST status since the past few decades. Though the cabinet committee announced to provide ST status to these communities before the Lok Sabha session but no actions were taken by the government to do the same.