A CORRESPONDENT
BOKO: Since 2003, various Rabha organizations have demanded the inclusion of the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. Alleging that the government has failed to accord priority to this long-pending demand, the Kamrup District Rabha Students’ Union, in collaboration with the Kamrup District Women’s Council and the Sixth Schedule Demand Committee, organized a massive torchlight protest rally in Boko on Saturday evening.
Thousands of Rabha people carrying torches marched from Gandhi Maidan through Boko Primary Health Centre and Boko Police Station before concluding the protest near the Boko Regional Rabha Students’ Union office. Participants from ten regional units of the Rabha Students’ Union across Kamrup district, including men and women from several villages, joined the rally. The protest reverberated with slogans such as “Assam Government Hai Hai”, “Assam Government Liar”, and “Sixth Schedule is our rightful demand”.
The All Rabha Students’ Union, All Rabha Women’s Council and the Sixth Schedule Demand Committee have staged parallel protests in Kamrup and Goalpara districts for the past two months. According to Rabha leaders, the organizations will hold a dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on December 12 to press for the demand.
Expressing strong resentment, Sixth Schedule Demand Committee president Dashanan Rabha alleged that the government had deceived the Rabha people with false promises. He warned that if the demand is not fulfilled before the forthcoming Assembly elections, the Rabha organizations will intensify their agitation. He further declared that Rabha organizations are prepared to field their own candidates in the Rabha Hasong region. Preparations are reportedly under way to contest in four Assembly constituencies located within Rabha Hasong and other Rabha-dominated areas.
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