A CORRESPONDENT
BOKO: In a powerful display of unity and cultural identity, members of the All Rabha Students’ Union (ARSU), All Rabha Women Council (ARWC) and the Sixth Schedule Demand Committee staged a two‑hour demonstration at Jantar Mantar on Friday, renewing their long‑standing demand for the inclusion of the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC) under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution along with other demands. Protesters, dressed in traditional Rabha attire, raised slogans seeking constitutional safeguards for the indigenous population of the RHAC region.
A delegation representing the organizations later called on officials of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and submitted a detailed memorandum addressed to the Hon’ble Home Minister. The memorandum, formally acknowledged by the Ministry on December 12, outlines the historical, administrative and demographic concerns that have shaped the Rabha movement over the past three decades.
The memorandum recalls that the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council, constituted in 1995, was envisioned as a protective institution for the Rabha and other indigenous communities of Goalpara and Kamrup districts. However, despite decades of democratic agitation, the Council continues to function with limited administrative and financial authority, resulting in stalled development and weakened institutional capacity.
The organizations expressed deep concern over demographic changes triggered by illegal migration, describing the RHAC region as a “vulnerable corridor” lacking constitutional safeguards. They noted that successive governments in Assam had, at various points, recommended Sixth Schedule status for RHAC, citing its core and contiguous character and the presence of 779 revenue villages within its jurisdiction.
The memorandum was signed by representatives of ARSU, ARWC, the Sixth Schedule Demand Committee, the Rabha Hasong Joint Movement Committee and allied indigenous organizations from Goalpara and Kamrup districts.
Nearly 500 protestors participated in the demonstration, which was also addressed by Tankeshwar Rabha, chief convenor of the Rabha Hasong Joint Movement Committee. Speaking at the venue, Rabha criticized both the Centre and the State for what he termed a “lack of goodwill” in addressing the concerns of the seven lakh people living in the RHAC area.
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