Assam: Adivasi protest in Kaliabor demands ST status, land rights and wage hike

Tension gripped the area in front of the Sub-Divisional Officer’s office in Kaliabor on Monday afternoon as hundreds of demonstrators, led by Adivasi organizations, staged a powerful protest demanding the long-pending rights of Assam’s indigenous tribal communities.

The two-hour sit-in demonstration was spearheaded by the Nagaon district units of the All Assam Adivasi Students' Association (AAASA) and the Adivasi Jan Shakti Sanghathan. Protesters raised slogans and held placards highlighting key demands: Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for Assam's Adivasi communities, land pattas (legal land rights), a daily wage hike to ₹551 for tea garden workers, and the issuance of accurate ethnic identity certificates to subgroups including the Oraon, Khond, Munda, Kharia, Santal, Uraon, Garo, and Bhumij.

"The government cannot continue to ignore our rights. We demand justice and recognition," said one of the protest leaders.

The organizations also issued a stern warning to BJP MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, condemning his alleged religiously divisive remarks about Adivasi communities. Calling the comments “unacceptable,” the student body urged public representatives to refrain from polarizing rhetoric.

As the 2026 state elections approach, the protesting groups declared that continued negligence of Adivasi issues would lead to a strong electoral backlash. “If the government does not act now, we will ensure their defeat in the next elections,” a protester said.

The protest concluded peacefully, but the message was loud and clear: the Adivasi community of Assam is prepared to escalate their movement if their long-standing demands remain unaddressed.