AASU leads statewide stir over govt's alleged irrigation failure amid dry spell
As paddy fields crack under the dry spell, protests break out across Assam, from Guwahati to Nalbari, Bijni & beyond

Protestors voicing against the irrigation department in Guwahati
Guwahati, July 19: Amid the ongoing dry spell across Assam, widespread protests have erupted across the state against the Irrigation and Water Resources Departments.
The All Assam Students' Union (AASU), along with regional student bodies, has accused the departments of abject failure in ensuring adequate irrigation support to farmers, thereby jeopardizing the cultivation season.
Protests were reported in multiple districts including Kamrup (Metro), Bijni, Nalbari, and Biswanath Chariali, among others.
The anger of students and locals is directed particularly at the Irrigation Department, helmed by Minister Ashok Singhal, who has being accused of mismanagement, corruption, and lack of field-level knowledge.
In Guwahati, members of the Kamrup Metropolitan District Students' Union staged a protest outside the office of the Chief Executive Engineer of the Irrigation Department at Chandmari. Demonstrators shouted slogans and held placards demanding immediate irrigation support.
“This is the most failed department under a minister who neither understands agriculture nor is interested in solving farmers’ problems. Minister Ashok Singhal doesn’t know when crops are sown or what they need to grow. His lack of knowledge and the department’s corruption have left our fields dry. If the department fails to act now, we will intensify our protest,” said one of the protestors.
Bijni: Protestors demand water, slam minister & government
A similar protest was held in Bijni, where the Bijni Regional Students' Association organised a rally outside the Irrigation Division office. Protestors accused the department of failing to supply water despite weeks of dry weather, leaving farmlands parched and cracked.
“The schemes are only on paper. There is no water, no implementation. In Chirang and nearby districts, there’s not even drinking water available. The government boasts of schemes and policies, but on the ground, farmers are helpless,” said Biswajit Rai, President of Bijni Regional AASU.
Sudip Chand, Central Organising Secretary of AASU, added, “This is not just about irrigation, it is about survival. The land is splitting open, and there’s no water to drink or cultivate. We demand immediate government intervention.”
A memorandum listing four key demands was also submitted to the Chief Minister, seeking urgent relief and long-term irrigation reforms.
Nalbari: Tensions escalate during protest at water resources office
In Nalbari, the student protest turned intense outside the office of the Water Resources Department. Over a hundred protestors from AASU and its district unit demonstrated, waving anti-government placards and raising slogans against Minister Singhal.
An unexpected scuffle broke out when a department employee reportedly behaved rudely with protestors. However, the situation was brought under control after the employee, Kishor Chakraborty, issued an apology.
Local farmers expressed despair over dry, cracked fields and unusable irrigation schemes. Many complained that shallow tube-wells and irrigation machinery are in disrepair and that genuine farmers are being left out of government support schemes.
“We are demanding water and functioning shallow tube-wells for farmers. If action is not taken, farming in Nalbari will collapse this season,” said a student leader.
Biswanath Chariali: Students rally near clock tower
At Biswanath Chariali, AASU leaders and students staged a protest near the iconic clock tower. A memorandum was handed over to the executive officer demanding urgent water supply to farmers' fields.
The protests reflect a growing public frustration over alleged ineffective government schemes and poor preparedness to tackle climate-induced challenges in agriculture.
As Assam reels under a prolonged dry spell, these protests signal a larger agricultural crisis looming across the state.