Adivasis stage protest for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, land pattas, and wage hike in Udalguri

A CORRESPONDENT

TANGLA: Reiterating their long-standing demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, thousands of Adivasi citizens from various parts of Assam took to the streets in Tangla and Udalguri towns on Thursday. The protest, organized under the banner of the All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA) and the All Assam Tea Tribe Students’ Association (AATTSA), also saw participation from several other organizations representing the Adivasi community, including the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS). Workers from over 22 tea estates of Udalguri district joined the protest, disrupting work in several plantations.

The demonstrators carried placards and shouted slogans demanding immediate action from the government. A memorandum submitted by the protesters listed three charter point demands — granting of ST status to the Adivasi communities, issuance of land pattas (ownership deeds), and an increase in the daily wage of tea garden workers to Rs 551. 

Addressing the gathering, AASAA Udalguri district committee President Babul Paik said that the community would not support the BJP in the upcoming state elections if the demands remained unfulfilled. “The Adivasis, comprising Oraons, Mundas, Santhals, Kharias, Gonds, Sawras, Bhumij, and others, are among the most backward communities in Assam. The saffron party had promised ST status to us in its election manifesto but has shown no genuine interest in resolving our decades-old issues,” Paik said. He further added that promises of land pattas and wage hikes remained only on paper. “Many Adivasis have sacrificed their lives during the past 20 years in the fight for ST status. Our counterparts in Bihar, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand already enjoy ST recognition, but despite fulfilling all tribal criteria, we continue to be deprived,” said protester Deep Tanti. 

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