𝐁𝐨𝐤𝐨 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭: 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧, 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐢𝐱 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬

Tensions flared on National Highway 17 in Boko on Sunday, November 30 after members of the Kamrup District Rabha Students’ Union staged a blockade protesting the proposed inclusion of six communities in Assam’s Scheduled Tribe (ST) list.

The protesters blocked the highway at Kenduguri and raised anti-government slogans, expressing strong opposition to granting ST recognition to the Moran, Motak, Ahom, Chutia, Koch Rajbongshi, and Tea Tribe communities. Members of the union alleged that the move could endanger the constitutional protections currently enjoyed by the indigenous Scheduled Tribe groups of the state.

As a mark of defiance, demonstrators reportedly set ablaze copies of the Group of Ministers’ (GoM) report on the proposed ST status, indicating a rising sense of resentment and distrust among the tribal population regarding the government’s proposal.

Security personnel from Boko Police Station were deployed at the protest site to maintain order. Although the situation remained tense, no incident of violence was reported, and normal traffic movement on the national highway resumed once the blockade was lifted.