Dibrugarh: All Tai Ahom Students’ Union (Atasu) members protested in Sonari, Charaideo district, on Thursday, demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for six indigenous communities of Assam, curbs on rising prices of essential commodities, and stronger action against drug menace.Hundreds of protesters marched to the district commissioner’s office, raising slogans along the way. Tension briefly flared at the DC office gate when protesters attempted to enter the premises, and police stationed inside moved to prevent them. The standoff lasted several minutes before the situation was brought under control.At the centre of the protest was the long-pending demand for ST status for six indigenous communities — Tai Ahom, Koch Rajbongshi, Chutia, Moran, Matak and Adivasi (Tea Tribes). The communities are currently listed under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category and have long sought ST status to secure greater access to reservations in education and govt jobs.“The BJP has been making this promise since 2014. Elections come and go, govts are formed, but the ST status remains a distant dream for our community. We will not rest until the demand is fulfilled,” Atasu leader Diganta Changmai said.The protesters also sought govt intervention to check soaring prices of petrol, diesel and other essential commodities, which they said were placing an increasing burden on ordinary citizens.They further called for a drug-free and illicit-liquor-free Charaideo, citing growing addiction and related social problems in the district.“Charaideo must be freed from the clutches of drugs and illicit liquor. Our youth are suffering, and families are being destroyed. The district administration must take strict action against drug peddlers and illegal liquor dens,” Changmai added.The protest concluded with the submission of a memorandum to Charaideo DC Neha Yadav.
Hundreds of protesters march to the Charaideo DC’s office
