A CORRESPONDENT
KHERONI: In a powerful show of unity, thousands of Karbi people from various parts of Assam undertook a massive foot march that culminated in a large protest rally at Sonapur in Kamrup (Metro) district on November 21.
The demonstrators, primarily belonging to the nine plains districts of the state, are demanding immediate Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for Karbis residing outside the three Sixth Schedule autonomous hill districts like Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong, and Dima Hasao. The march began from Babajia in Nagaon district and reached Sonapur on the day of the rally. It was jointly organized by the Karbi Scheduling Coordination Committee (KSCC) and the All Assam Karbi Youth Association (AAKYA).
Participants carried banners and raised slogans asserting that the denial of ST status to Karbis living in the plains had left the community politically marginalized and economically disadvantaged for decades. Two days after the protest, the Assam Cabinet, in its meeting on Sunday evening, approved the introduction of the ‘Karbi Welfare Autonomous Council Bill, 2025’ in the forthcoming session of the Assam Legislative Assembly. The proposed legislation honours a key provision of the 2021 Karbi Peace Accord (Memorandum of Settlement) signed by the Government of India, the Government of Assam, and various Karbi armed groups.
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