Rabha organizations stage protest demanding Sixth Schedule status for RHAC

A CORRESPONDENT

BOKO: Members of the All Rabha Students’ Union (ARSU), All Rabha Women Council (ARWC), and the Sixth Schedule Demand Committee (SSDC) on Thursday held a protest rally demanding immediate inclusion of the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC) under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. The rally, held near Boko-Chaygaon Co-District Commissioner Office in Boko, was followed by the submission of a memorandum to Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma through the Additional Co-District Commissioner of Boko-Chhaygaon. The organizations urged the State Government to expedite the process of granting Sixth Schedule status to the RHAC area by holding a tripartite talk within November 2025, as earlier assured by the Chief Minister and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

In their memorandum, ARSU President Motilal Rabha, General Secretary Dr Subhash Rabha, ARWC President Lalita Rabha, ARWC General Secretary Kabita Rabha, SSDC President Dashanam Rabha, and Chief Secretary Monuj Kumar Rabha reiterated that the Assam Government had already recommended constitutional status for the RHAC through a letter issued by the Tribal Affairs (Plain) Department on February 9, 2024. They expressed gratitude for this step but voiced concern over the continued delay in implementing the commitment. The organizations recalled that in a meeting held on January 3, 2025, at the RHAC Secretariat, the Chief Minister had assured that a tripartite meeting involving the Government of India, Government of Assam, and the RHAC leadership would be held within May 2025. However, this meeting was postponed multiple times, leading to frustration among the Rabha and other indigenous communities of the RHAC region.

During a subsequent meeting on September 7, 2025, at Loksewa Bhawan in Dispur, the Chief Minister reaffirmed the government’s intent to convene the meeting in November 2025. Yet, with no concrete steps visible, the Rabha bodies said that they were compelled to take to the streets to remind the government of its promise. They questioned whether the promise made was genuine or merely a tactic to delay the process until the 2026 Assembly elections. The protest rally concluded with the submission of the memorandum to the Chief Minister, urging him to ensure that the tripartite talk took place this month and that the RHAC area be brought under the Sixth Schedule without further delay.

Speaking to the media, Rabha Students’ Union President Motilal Rabha stated that the demand to include the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC) under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution has been ongoing since 2003. He expressed concern that despite assurances from the Chief Minister, the promised tripartite meeting has not yet been held. The Union warned that if the meeting did not take place in November, a more intense agitation would be launched, with a two-month-long protest programme already in place. Since October 22, awareness meetings have been organized across villages within the RHAC area. Rabha emphasized that the Assam Government must honour its commitments, noting that 24 people have already sacrificed their lives in the movement, and thousands more are prepared to do so if necessary. He further argued that inclusion under the Sixth Schedule is essential to safeguard the land, identity, and security of the Rabha community and other indigenous groups, while also preventing unchecked migration through what he described as a ‘foreign corridor’ in the region.

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