All Santal Students' Union Stages Cultural Protest in Lakhimpur

Lakhimpur: The All Santal Students Union (ASSU) organised a big cultural protest at Lakhimpur on Wednesday to flag the community's long-standing demands for recognition, rights, and welfare. In traditional attire, the demonstrators marched and showcased cultural performances that garnered considerable attention from the public.

As part of the protest, the union submitted an 11-point memorandum to the government. The demands principally include providing Scheduled Tribe status to the Santal community, setting up a Santal Unnayan Parishad for targeted development, and recognising Santals as a distinct community, separate from the tea tribes.

Other demands include land allotment according to the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation, 1886, provision of teachers to promote the Santali language, and the establishment of separate higher education and placement facilities for Santal students. The union further demanded land rights under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, implementation of all clauses in the Adivasi Peace Accord, proper funding for the Adivasi Welfare & Development Council, financial assistance to cadres mentioned in the Accord, and introduction of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in Assam.

Hundreds assembled at Tyag Khetra, where the protest began before moving in a peaceful, cultural procession through central Lakhimpur. The rally culminated at the North Lakhimpur Deputy Commissioner’s office, where ASSU leaders submitted the memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister through the DC, urging immediate government action. The organisers warned that, unless their demands were met quickly, this agitation would continue. They said that, yet again, the community was determined to get their rights and recognition.

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