Chutia, Matak, Moran, Koch-Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom, and Tea Tribes are six clans in Assam that have expressed their ire at the Central government for not granting them the Scheduled Tribes (ST) status, which has been a long-standing demand in the state. On Thursday, community members protested in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts, burning effigies of the chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, union home minister Amit Shah, and prime minister Narendra Modi.
A large-scale agitation in the northeast has also been threatened if their demand is not met quickly.
After the federal cabinet recently accepted the inclusion of about 12 communities from Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka on the ST list, the protest gained strength.
According to the All Tai Ahom Students Union (ATASU), a committee established by the Assam government had long ago given its recommendations for granting ST designation, but nothing further was done with the issue. The Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, according to the ATASU, never provided an explanation for why the communities weren’t included in the ST list.
(source : IANS)
