Assam: Tribal Students' Body Demands Immediate Withdrawal of 'ST Amendment Bill'

Haflong, November 23, 2019:

The Hills Tribal Students Association (HTSA) on Friday staged a mass torch rally in Assam’s Haflong, demanding immediate withdrawal of the Scheduled Tribe (Amendment) Bill 2019.

Hills Tribal Students Association also demanded that the government should stop granting Scheduled Tribe status to advance and popular communities of Assam.

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According to reports, the government will pass the Scheduled Tribe (Amendment) Bill 2019 in this winter session of the Parliament.

Students and people from all the communities in the district took part in the rally. While the streets of Haflong witnessed a total shutdown, slogans such as ‘stop dirty politics’, ‘Don't take our rights from us’, ‘We want justice’, etc. echoed across length and breadth.

President of HTSA, Pramith Sengyung said that they will not accept this bill under any circumstances, and said that at present Scheduled Tribe (ST) people are only getting 5% opportunities. If the government grants ST status to the other communities, they fear that they will have no tribal rights.

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They further threatened that if the government does not consider their demands, they will launch massive agitations.

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