Tai Ahom youth body sets 2025 deadline for ST status; warns of stronger agitation
Declaring they won’t wait forever, TAYPA warned of political consequences if govt fails to act
TAYPA protestors and the police in Sivasagar on Tuesday as the latter rallied seeking ST status for Tai Ahom community (AT Photo)
Sivasagar, March 18: The Tai Ahom Yuba Parishad Assam (TAYPA) has set the end of 2025 as the deadline for the government to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Tai Ahom community, warning of intensified protests if their demand remains unfulfilled.
On Tuesday, members of the organisation took to the streets in Sivasagar, staging a massive rally outside the office of the Co-District Commissioner to press for their long-standing demand.
Holding placards reading “No ST, No Rest”, men, women, and youth turned out in large numbers, accusing the government of betraying the community. Some protesters also clashed with the police during the demonstration.
Speaking to The Assam Tribune, TAYPA President Diganta Tamuly criticised the government for allegedly misleading the community with false promises.
“All we have received from the government in the name of ST status is deception. We want the status granted by 2025. We cannot wait indefinitely,” Tamuly said.
He also reiterated their demand for the benefits of the Sixth Schedule, which ensures autonomy and development for certain tribal communities.
“When we protest in villages or rural areas, our voices are ignored. That’s why we are here, right outside the Co-District Commissioner’s office, to make sure our demands are heard,” a protester said.
Tamuly recalled that before elections, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had compared the Tai Ahom community’s demand for ST status to the historic Battle of Saraighat, only to forget his promises after securing votes.
“He called our movement the second Battle of Saraighat. Now, he has abandoned us,” Tamuly said.
Threatening they will take political action if the government continues to ignore their demand, he added, “History is proof that we voted out Tarun Gogoi’s government in 2016 for failing to give us ST status. If this government repeats the same mistake, we will ensure they are politically wiped out. No one understands the spirit of the Battle of Saraighat better than Ahom youth.”
The demand for ST status is not limited to the Tai Ahom community. Five other communities—Moran, Matak, Chutia, Adivasi (Tea Tribes), and Koch Rajbongshis—have been fighting for the same recognition.
Recently, the issue was raised in Parliament during the ongoing Budget session after the Centre received a proposal from the Assam government to include these six communities under the ST category. However, no concrete decision has been made yet.