HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Nov 29: Intense protests erupted in Kokrajhar on Saturday after students from Bodoland University and several tribal organisations marched against the Assam Cabinet’s decision to approve the Group of Ministers’ report recommending Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for six communities — Tai Ahom, Chutia, Moran, Motok, Koch-Rajbongshi and Tea Tribes (Adivasis).
The protesters, who began their march from the university campus, covered nearly six kilometres before breaking through barricades and storming the assembly hall of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Secretariat at Bodofa Nwgwr, where they vandalised chairs, tables and other furniture.
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Officials said the situation escalated rapidly as sections of the agitated crowd forced their way into the hall, damaging properties and triggering heightened tension in the area.
Additional security forces were rushed to the secretariat, but the situation remained volatile till late in the evening.
Many students held banners and placards and shouted slogans, arguing that extending ST status to the six communities — which they described as socially advanced and numerically strong — would dilute existing constitutional safeguards and compromise the rights, identity and political protections of recognised tribal groups in Assam.
The students had earlier boycotted their third-semester final examinations and staged demonstrations on the university campus opposing the Cabinet’s move.
On Thursday, the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), along with several allied tribal bodies, organised a torchlight vigil in Kokrajhar town to protest the government’s decision.
The protestors reiterated that granting ST status to more communities would directly impact education and job reservations meant for tribal communities and demanded immediate withdrawal of the Cabinet approval.
Amid the escalating unrest, ABSU president Dipen Boro urged students to maintain democratic forms of protest and avoid acts of violence, stating that while the opposition to the Cabinet’s decision is justified, the agitation must remain peaceful to convey the community’s concerns effectively.
Students at the protest echoed that they wished to protect the dignity and identity of existing tribal groups and would continue to oppose the decision until the government reconsidered its stand.
