Assam: CCTOA opposes move to grant ST status to six ethnic groups, plans mass rally in November

STAFF REPORTER

Guwahati: The Coordination Committee of the Tribal Organizations of Assam (CCTOA) has strongly opposed the proposed move to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six ‘advanced ethnic groups’ of the state, warning that such a step would “destroy the existing Scheduled Tribes of Assam.”

The stand was reiterated during a meeting of the CCTOA held today at the Tribal Rest House in Paltan Bazar, Guwahati. CCTOA chief coordinator Aditya Khakhlari presided over the meeting.

Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma recently announced that the ministerial group constituted to study the inclusion of six ethnic groups in the ST list would submit its report to the Assam Legislative Assembly on November 25, 2025. While the earlier Congress government had proposed that the inclusion of these six groups should not affect the existing tribes, the present Chief Minister has stated that such tribalisation could indeed harm the interests of the scheduled tribes.

The CCTOA expressed concern that “tribalisation will be done even if the existing scheduled tribes suffer”, noting that most political parties and student organisations have supported the move except the tribal organizations.

The meeting observed that there is no provision for ‘tribal states’ in the Indian Constitution and that Assam’s protection lies in the proper implementation of Article 6 of the Assam Accord, not in extending ST status to advanced groups.

The committee raised doubts about whether existing tribes can coexist with groups like the Ahom, Chutia, and Koch-Rajbongshi, asserting that these communities have historically distinct identities. Referring to a recent protest in Sivasagar, the CCTOA noted that Ahom organizations opposed the appointment of a Mising tribal as the President of the Zila Parishad under reservation norms, proving that the Ahoms do not consider themselves part of the existing tribal fold.

The CCTOA cited historical examples, pointing out that the Ahoms ruled Assam for six centuries, the Chutias had their own kingdom prior to that, and the Koch-Rajbongshis are a heterogeneous group with internal divisions between the Kochas of the south and the Rajbongshis of Goalpara. “Even the Koch-Rajbongshis are recognised as OBCs in West Bengal,” the statement said.

To justify tribal recognition, the CCTOA demanded that the government conduct a comprehensive political, economic, educational, social, and cultural survey of the Ahom, Koch Rajbongshi, and Chutia communities. “It must be proved that these communities are truly backward before any such recognition,” the resolution stated.

The committee recalled that when the Koch-Rajbongshi community was granted ST status briefly in 1996, the group disproportionately occupied reserved seats in major institutions — including Cotton College (up to 78%), medical colleges (78%), and engineering and ayurvedic colleges (81–100%) — thereby depriving genuine tribal candidates.

 While expressing sympathy for genuinely backward groups such as the Moran, Matak, Chaotal, Kharia, Munda, and Chaora communities, the CCTOA highlighted interstate complications in their recognition and demanded the removal of such barriers so that existing tribes of Assam are recognised in all relevant states, including Bihar, Odisha, and Jharkhand. The organization also demanded that Karbis in the plains and Boros in the hill areas be granted ST status.

Speaking to the media, Chief Coordinator Aditya Khakhlari condemned personal attacks against him by supporters of the six ethnic groups, saying, “Aditya Khakhlari is not just a person; he represents the voice of four million tribal people in Assam. If advanced and populous communities are given tribal status, the real tribes will be destroyed in every respect.”

The CCTOA announced that it will hold a mass rally in Guwahati in the first week of November to protest the government’s move, followed by similar rallies in three zones of South, North, and Central Assam later in the month.

The meeting also decided to observe the death anniversary of people’s leader Bhimbar Deuri on November 30 in
Guwahati.

Also Read: Chautal Students Demand ST Status, Burn Effigies