AKRSU stages protest for statehood, ST tag

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, Dec 22: The Hiteswar Barman faction of the All Koch Rajbongshi Students’ Union (AKRSU) today staged three-hour sit-in demonstrations to demand the separate state of Kamtapur and Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the community. They also demanded recognition of Rajbongshi language in the 8th schedule of the constitution besides preservation, protection and promotion of the historical monuments and cultural aspects of the Koch Rajbongshis in different part of country which have been so far neglected and likely to be extinguished.

 The members of the union held demonstrations in Guwahati from 11am to 2pm.

A memorandum was submitted to Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal through the Kamrup (M) deputy commissioner.

Talking to reporters, AKRSU president Hiteswar Barman said that Kamtapur state and ST status were the long-standing demands of the Koch-Rajbongshi community.

“We demand recreation of historical Kamatapur state comprising 15 districts of Assam and six districts of West Bengal on the basis of the legendary Merger Agreement on August 28, 1949. We demand the creation of the state for the socio-economic, political, educatiol and cultural empowerment of the community, protection of land rights and preservation of the ethnic identity of the Loch Rajbongshis,” Barman said.

He further said that the AKRSU has demanded ST (P) status for the community on the basis of the recommendations of the parliament select committee constituted by the Central government.   

He said that the lackadaisical attitude of the government in solving the issue had forced the community to start this movement.

The AKRSU further demanded the establishment of a central university, a central agriculture university, a NIIT and a medical college in the districts of the proposed Kamatapur to improve the backwardness of the region.

“We demand that the district autonomous and territorial councils already created in Assam such as BTAD, Rabha Autonomous Council, Tiwa Autonomous Council must have specific constitutiol 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,” he said.