HT Correspondent
DIBRUGARH, Aug 27: Mottock organisations staged a protest in front of the District Commissioner’s Office in Dibrugarh, demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for their community on Tuesday.
The activists, holding placards and banners, raised slogans for granting ST status to the community.
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Members of five Mottock organisations—All Assam Mottock Sanmilan, All Assam Mottock Yuba Chatra Sanmilan, All Assam Mottock Mahila Parishad, All Assam Mottock Yuba Chatra Parishad, and All Assam Mottock Students’ Union—assembled in front of the DC office.
The Mottock community, along with five other ethnic communities in Assam, including the Tai Ahoms, Morans, Koch Rajbongshis, Sooteas, and Tea Tribes, has been seeking ST status in the state.
“ST status is a long-pending demand of our community. The BJP government promised to grant ST status to our community along with other communities, but till date, nothing has happened. Along with five other organisations, we have been staging several protest rallies for the fulfilment of this demand,” said Sanjoy Hazarika, a leader of the Mottock organisation.
Despite promises from BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and subsequent elections, nothing has materialised, and the communities remain classified as OBC.
“Promises made during polls have turned into empty words. We feel betrayed, and it is time for us to take a stand. The Mottock community has been marginalised for too long. The government needs to understand that we will not back down until we are granted ST status,” Hazarika said.
