Protesters block railway tracks in Srirampur near Assam-Bengal border, demand tribal status

All Assam Koch Rajbongshi Sanmilani (AAKRS) on November 6 blocked railways tracks passing through Srirampur in the Kokrajhar district of Assam, near the Assam-Bengal border, disrupting the movement of trains between the northeast region and the rest of the country.

Members of AAKRS disrupted the train movement as their members and supporters squatted on the train tracks since the night of November 5, demanding tribal status.

Carrying placards, and sloganeering against the government, thousands of demonstrators who gathered at the protest site, raised their demand for the Scheduled Tribe status to the Koch Rajbongshis in Assam.

The demonstrators have called for the rail blockade for 5 hours starting from 8 am to 1 pm on November 6.

Police paramilitary forces have been deployed on every road, and subway connecting the blockade site to prevent any untoward incident.

Meanwhile, the administration has declared the protest illegal, with rallies and demonstrations that have been taken out without the permission of the local authorities.

The Koch-Rajbangshi community has been demanding ST status since the 1960s. But the demand didn't really pick much steam until before the 1996 general election.

To incorporate the Koch-Rajbangshis in the ST category, the then-Narasimha Rao Government issued the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Ordinance on January 27, 1996.