Assam: Cultural Protest by Several Thousand Morans in Tinsukia Demanding ST Status & Scrapping of CAA

Tinsukia, February 7, 2020:

Continuing to rage against the Government's implementation of the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act, as many as six organizations of the Moran community came together to launch a massive cultural rally to demand its scrapping in Tinsukia district of Assam.

The Moran bodies were also joined by several hundred locals here as they asserted their indigenous Assamese identity by singing their folk songs to the accompaniment of dhul (drums) and  taal (cymbals).

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Several hundred women, wearing the traditional garb and with gamusas wrapped around their , took to the streets in great numbers, and demanded the Government to scrap the CAA. Loud slogans rent the air, as the women's voices soared in slogans and song decrying the Centre for not paying heed to the demands of the community.

"All the Moran organizations have staged a protest in the very midst of Tinsukia town to claim our rights, especially the granting of ST status...we are staging a cultural protest. Apart from this, we are also demanding the scrapping of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act", a protester told Inside Northeast.

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It may be mentioned here that six communities in Assam - Chutia, Motok, Moran, Koch-Rajbongshi, Tai-Ahom and Tea Tribes, have been demanding ST status for a long time. The Scheduled Tribes Amendment Bill, 2019 which was introduced in the Rajya Sabha for the inclusion of six communities in the list of Scheduled Tribes of Assam was not passed due to constant disruptions in the Parliament.

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