Array of Protests on Third Day of Assam Legislative Assembly Winter Session

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The city on Wednesday witnessed an array of protests coinciding with the third day of the Assam Legislative Assembly Winter Session. Several organizations staged protests at Chachal seeking fulfillment of their various demands. Among them were the All Koch-Rajbongshi Students' Union, All Assam Non-Provincialized Teachers' Association, All Assam Special Police Officers' Welfare Association, United Manipuri Association, Assam and the Voters party International, Assam.

The All Koch-Rajbongshi Students' Union demanded the re-creation of historical Kamatapur state comprising 17 districts of Assam and 6 districts of West Bengal on the basis of the legendary Merger Agreement of Aug 28, 1949. It also sought ST (Plains) status for the Koch Rajbonshis of Assam including Sixth Schedule areas on the basis of the recommendations of the Parliamentary Select Committee constituted by the Centre in 1996-97 and recognition of Rajbonshi language in the 8th schedule of the constitution of India. Further the students' body urged the government to set up a Central University, a Central Agriculture University, NIIT or NIT and a Medical College in districts of the proposed Kamatapur.

The students' body also demanded that the District Autonomous and Territorial Councils already created in Assam and West Bengal such as Bodoland Territorial Council, Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council, Tiwa Autonomous Council and Gorkha Autonomous Council must have specific constitutional provisions for the equal rights and privileges to all the indigenous communities of those areas including their right to land, right to political representation for their socio economic and cultural development. Further it demanded that no Autonomous Council, Union Territory, separate land, state or any such should be created except Kamatapur in the said area and the structure of Territorial Councils should be reserved in order to make it inclusive ensuring the rights and privileges of other indigenous communities. The association also dispatched a memorandum to chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma containing their charter of demands.

The All Assam Non-Provincialized Teachers' Association staged a protest seeking provincialization of the nearly 2,600 educational institutions of the state from primary schools to degree colleges which are yet to be provincialized by the government.

The All Assam Special Police Officers' Welfare Association on the other hand raised demand for regularization of their jobs and recognition of their fellow colleagues as martyrs who have lost their live while on duty fighting militancy. It also sought relaxation of the upper age limit in jobs and reservation for SPOs in the 500 jobs which it said were lying vacant in the AISF battalion.

The United Manipuri Association, Assam demanded the creation of a Manipuri Autonomous Council in Assam and inclusion of the Manipuri community in the Scheduled Tribes (Plains) category under the provision of the Indian constitution. Similarly, the Voters party International, Assam among other demands sought the hike of old age pension amount and Arunodoi Scheme amount.

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