Assam: Protest erupts in Boko over proposed ST status to six communities, copies of GoM report burned, highway blocked

Tensions flared on National Highway 17 in Boko on Sunday, November 30 after members of the Kamrup District Rabha Students’ Union staged a blockade protesting the proposed inclusion of six communities in Assam’s Scheduled Tribe (ST) list.

 

The protesters blocked the highway at Kenduguri and raised anti-government slogans, expressing strong opposition to granting ST recognition to the Moran, Motak, Ahom, Chutia, Koch Rajbongshi, and Tea Tribe communities. Members of the union alleged that the move could endanger the constitutional protections currently enjoyed by the indigenous Scheduled Tribe groups of the state.

 

As a mark of defiance, demonstrators reportedly set ablaze copies of the Group of Ministers’ (GoM) report on the proposed ST status, indicating a rising sense of resentment and distrust among the tribal population regarding the government’s proposal.

 

Security personnel from Boko Police Station were deployed at the protest site to maintain order. Although the situation remained tense, no incident of violence was reported, and normal traffic movement on the national highway resumed once the blockade was lifted.

 

Leaders of the Rabha Students’ Union reiterated that they would continue to oppose any policy that, according to them, threatens the political representation, land rights, social welfare benefits, and cultural identity of the existing ST communities.

 

Similar demonstrations have been recorded in various regions of Assam, including Bodoland, highlighting the expanding unrest among tribal groups over the contentious issue.