North Lakhimpur: A massive torch march was taken out by Chutia Yuva Sanmilan, Asom (CYSA) in Dhakuakhana, Lakhimpur district demanding Scheduled Tribes (ST) status in Assam.
The march was taken out on September 9 in Dhakuakhana and was led by CYSA’s president Kaustabh Kishore Chutia, general secretary Palash Hazarika along with the six hundred members from Dhakuakhana, Ghilamora, Machkhowa, Bogeenadi units of the organization.
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The march started from the Sati Sadhani Bhawan in Dhakuakhana covering the main roads of the sub-district headquarter with youths, women and elderly persons from the Chutia ethnic community.
Leading the torch march, the adviser of CYSA, Mahen Saikia denounced the role played by the state government in betraying the Chutia community in granting ST status.
Addressing the protest march CYSA’s president Kaustabh Kishore Chutia said that the march was just the beginning of a democratic movement of the community demanding the dues of their community.
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He said the community would no longer be fooled by the lollipop fed by the governments at the Centre and the state that promised ST status.
The protesting leaders also decried the promise of granting ST status to the Chutias in the poll manifesto of the BJP in 2014 and termed it an utter betrayal.
The leaders also dismissed talks for the sake of talks and demanded a solution to their demands.
With placards “No ST, no rest”, the protesters also threatened to respond with ballots in the elections against the ruling party.
After the protest march the CYSA-Dhakuakhana unit sent an eight-point memorandum to the Chief Minister of Assam through an executive magistrate.