𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐱 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬

Tension escalated in Kokrajhar on November 28 as tribal students of Science College staged a strong protest at the college entrance, opposing the Assam Cabinet’s recent approval to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six heterogeneous communities of the state.

The students argued that expanding the ST list would dilute the rights, reservations, and constitutional safeguards of existing tribal groups, directly affecting their educational and employment opportunities.

Friday’s demonstration follows a similar uproar that unfolded two days earlier on November 27 at Bodoland University, where anger erupted immediately after the state Cabinet accepted a report submitted by a Group of Ministers recommending ST status for the six communities.

The decision triggered widespread opposition among tribal bodies and student unions across the Bodoland region.

Members of the Bodoland University Students’ Union (BUSU), along with activists from the Coordination Committee Tribal Organisation of Assam (CCTOA) and other tribal student groups, launched protests on the university campus at Debargaon. Demonstrators blocked the main gate, staged a sit-in, and prevented all entry into the campus.