AASAA stages stir to demand ST status for tea tribes

From a Correspondent

Lakhimpur, February 29: Demanding to grant the Adivasis Scheduled Tribe (ST)  status, the Lakhimpur district regiol committee of All Adivasi Students’ Union of Assam  (AASAA) protested in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) office on Monday.

More than 200 activists took part in a protest rally organized from the North Lakhimpur Tyag Khetra to the office of the Deputy Commissioner where they shouted slogans against the State and Central governments for allegedly discrimiting against the tea tribes for a long time. They claimed that Adivasis were deprived of educatiol rights, socio-cultural rights, constitutiol rights, customary laws, economic rights, land rights and overall development.

To enjoy their fundamental human rights, they demanded the Central Government to grant ST status to the community and also to sanction an annual package of Rs 100 crore for overall development of the community. Regarding these demands they have submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister through the DC of Lakhimpur.