Assam: Thousands join torch rally in Boko demanding sixth schedule status for Rabha Hasong

Renewing a demand pending for more than two decades, thousands of members of the Rabha community held a massive torch-light rally in Boko on Saturday, December 6 evening, calling for the inclusion of the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC) under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. The demonstration was organised by the Kamrup District Rabha Students’ Union, along with the Kamrup District Women’s Council and the Sixth Schedule Demand Committee, amid growing frustration over what the groups describe as the government’s persistent neglect of their constitutional demand since 2003.

The rally, which began at Gandhi Maidan, passed through the Boko Primary Health Centre and Boko Police Station before culminating near the Boko Regional Rabha Students’ Union office. Protesters from ten regional units of the Students’ Union across Kamrup district participated, with men and women from several villages joining in large numbers. Throughout the march, demonstrators raised slogans such as “Assam Government Hai Hai,” “Assam Government Liar,” and “Sixth Schedule is our rightful demand.”

The agitation in Boko is part of a wider mobilisation by Rabha organisations in Kamrup and Goalpara districts. Over the past two months, the All Rabha Students’ Union, All Rabha Women’s Council, and the Sixth Schedule Demand Committee have staged a series of coordinated protests across the region. Leaders confirmed that a major dharna will be held at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, on December 12 to intensify pressure on the Centre.

Speaking at the rally, Sixth Schedule Demand Committee president Dashanan Rabha accused the government of deceiving the Rabha people with “false promises” and warned that the community's patience is running out. He cautioned that if the Sixth Schedule status is not granted before the upcoming Assembly elections, Rabha organisations will escalate their agitation and are prepared to enter the electoral arena themselves.

Dashanan Rabha said preparations are already underway to field candidates from the Rabha Hasong region, with plans to contest in four Assembly constituencies falling under or adjacent to Rabha-dominated areas. “We are ready to fight politically if our democratic rights continue to be ignored,” he asserted.

Echoing the sentiment, All Rabha Students’ Union vice-president Pradip Rabha maintained that the movement will continue unabated until the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council is formally included under the Sixth Schedule.

The intensification of protests signals a renewed political assertion by the Rabha community as the state heads toward the next Assembly elections.