Members of 24 groups stage nude protest in KA

NON-FULFILMENT OF VARIOUS DEMANDS

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT

HAMREN, April 21: From Manipur’s mothers to Tamil farmers, nudity as a form of protest is getting popular across the country including Assam. Demanding constitutiol safeguards for the Scheduled Tribes (STs) in Karbi Anglong district, participation of only ST candidates in the council polls and non-fulfillment of their other demands, members of 24 social organizations staged a nude protest near the office of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) on Friday.

The organizations demanded that the KAAC should make its Acts and rules for the conduct of its elections as per Paragraph 2 (7) and Paragraph 20 of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitutions of India. The organizations also strongly objected to the obsolete and defective rules of 1951 that are still used by the Council as well as the State government in conducting the Council polls. 

Because of these defective rules used by the Council and the State government, the non-tribal immigrants have taken away political power of the STs guaranteed by the Constitution of India, the protesters said.

The protesting organizations also alleged that due to dilutions of the provisions of the Sixth Schedule, all government funds for development, government jobs, land, etc. reserved for the STs in the district have been stched away by the non-tribal immigrants.

The protesters alleged that the political leaders who are in power in KAAC and in the State government are looting public money without any shame.