Motok Community Announces Series of Protests Demanding ST Status
The Motok community, regarded as one of Assam’s indigenous groups with a long history of cultural and social identity, has announced a series of agitation programmes pressing for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list and Sixth Schedule autonomy.
The decision was taken under the joint initiative of the Sadou Asom Motok Sanmilan, Sadou Asom Motok Yuba-Chatra Sanmilan, Sadou Asom Motok Chhatra Santha, Sadou Asom Motok Mahila Parishad, and the Sadou Asom Motok Yuba-Chatra Parishad, with support from various district units.
A massive rally has been scheduled in Tinsukia town on September 19 at 5 PM, where thousands are expected to participate, raising slogans asserting their rights and warning against continued neglect of the community’s demands.
The Motok organisations highlighted that despite historical recognition, including references in the British-era “People of India” report and the 1955 Kaka Kalelkar Commission which identified the community as equivalent to Scheduled Tribes, successive governments have failed to grant the status. They also pointed out that the Registrar General of India had already approved the eligibility for inclusion, but the bill remains pending in the Rajya Sabha.
As part of the continuing movement, the Sadou Asom Motok Yuba-Chatra Sanmilan has also announced further mass rallies on September 22 at Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, and Sivasagar districts in collaboration with other Motok organisations.
The community has resolved to intensify its agitation until its long-standing demand for ST status and constitutional recognition is fulfilled.
Other Contents by Author
Guwahati: Assam witnessed widespread protests on Saturday as Congress workers across districts burnt effigies of Cabinet Minister Ashok Singhal, demanding his resignation and a public apology over his controversial remarks against the Congress party.
The uproar began after a viral video from a public meeting in Dhekiajuli constituency, where Singhal allegedly mocked the Congress, asking whether the “animal called Congress” still existed in the region. Outraged, Congress workers took to the streets in Upper Assam, Lower Assam, Barak Valley, and Guwahati, shouting slogans such as “Arrest Singhal,” “Stop insulting freedom fighters,” and “We will not tolerate insults to Congress.”...
As part of the 155th birth anniversary of Jnan Malini Kobi and the 25th Mofizuddin Ahmed Hazarika Sahitya Utsav 2025, a felicitation ceremony was held at Guwahati Press Club on Friday, where eminent academician and writer Dr. Lutfa Hanum Salima Begum, former Head of the Assamese Department at Cotton University, was presented with the prestigious Mofizuddin Ahmed Hazarika Memorial Poetry Award 2025.
The award was presented by renowned writer and journalist Anuradha Sharma Pujari in the presence of distinguished personalities. The award comprised a memento and a cash prize. Expressing her gratitude, Dr. Begum said receiving the honor from Anuradha Sharma Pujari was a matter of pride and...
Yet another major accident has occurred in Sivasagar due to ONGC’s negligence and irresponsibility. Around 10 AM today, a crude oil pipeline laid beneath National Highway 37 at Sivasagar’s 1 No. Chaul Khar area burst, spilling crude oil directly onto the highway. The sudden leakage created panic across the area as vehicles were plying on the busy road at that time.
Firefighters and ONGC officials rushed to the spot immediately and managed to stop the leakage. The spilled oil was covered with soil to prevent fire or accidents. Luckily, a major tragedy was averted due to the timely action of locals and the fire service.
Reports suggest that the leaking crude oil pipeline connects the...
Guwahati, August 27, 2025 – A tragic incident at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) has sparked widespread outrage across Assam. A four-day-old infant admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) on August 15 for infection and jaundice was found dead at the facility on August 18, allegedly due to negligence of medical staff.
The infant reportedly fell from a cot and became entangled in the wires of medical equipment while undergoing phototherapy—a catastrophe that occurred while the nurse on duty was preparing milk for other infants.
In response, the state government has formed a three-member investigation panel including senior administrative and medical education...
The political theatre of Assam’s hill districts has once again turned turbulent. At the centre of the storm stands Tuliram Ronghang, the powerful Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC). Once hailed as a strongman who consolidated the Bharatiya Janata Party’s base in Karbi Anglong, he now faces the gravest allegations of his political career — charges that he has mortgaged the very council he was entrusted to protect.
The accusations were made on Monday by Ratan Engti, President of the Karbi Anglong District Congress, at a press conference held at Rajiv Bhawan in Guwahati. Surrounded by a battery of former legislators and executive members, Engti...
New Delhi/Guwahati: Former State Coordinator of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Hitesh Dev Sharma, has approached the Supreme Court seeking a re-verification of the Assam NRC, alleging large-scale irregularities and wrongful inclusion of foreigners.
A two-judge bench comprising Justice P.S. Narasimha and Justice Atul Chandurkar admitted Sharma’s petition and issued notices to the Central Government, the Assam Government, the State Coordinator of NRC, and the Registrar General of India.
The final NRC, published on August 31, 2019, left out around 19 lakh applicants, including a significant number of Bengali Hindus and Muslims. Allegations of forged documents and software...
GUWAHATI, August 20: Three major tribal organizations have announced a 36-hour bandh in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts on August 23-24, coinciding with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's scheduled visit to Margherita, in fierce opposition to the state government's decision to grant protected class status to the Nepali community in the Tirap Tribal Belt.
Constitutional Violations Alleged
The Indigenous Peoples of Maung-Doon-Choon-Kham, United Tribal Organization of Assam, and Tirap Autonomous District Council Demand Committee jointly condemned the cabinet decision granting land rights under Section 160(2) of the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation, 1886, calling it a direct...
The Tai Ahom Students' Union is demanding a CBI investigation into the death of Dashami Duarah, a 22-year-old Forest Department employee found hanging at her Kaziranga quarters on August 8, claiming it's murder disguised as suicide.
Key Evidence Raising Suspicions:
Body discovered at 6 a.m. in high-security campus with CCTV and guards on duty
Crucial evidence allegedly destroyed or collected 10 days later
Post-mortem timeline discrepancies suggest document manipulation
Her room was mysteriously changed in March without explanation
Institutional Failures:
Police rushed to declare it suicide without proper investigation
A senior Divisional Forest Officer remains...
Second major jailbreak in 10 months exposes chronic security failures as fugitives remain at large
MORIGAON, August 20: In a shocking repeat of security lapses, two inmates successfully escaped from Morigaon District Jail under mysterious circumstances on the night of August 19, marking the second major jailbreak from the same facility within ten months. The escapees, identified as Jiarul Islam and Subrata Sarkar, managed to breach prison security using makeshift rope crafted from bedsheets, blankets, and towels before scaling the jail walls and disappearing into the night.
This latest incident has eerily echoed a similar mass escape that occurred approximately ten months ago, when...
Award-winning director Luit Kumar Barman submits notarized statement to Election Commission amid nationwide controversy over electoral fraud allegations
GUWAHATI, August 18: As Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi embarks on a 1,300-kilometer 'Voter Rights March' from Bihar's Sasaram amid nationwide debates over alleged vote rigging, an Assam-based filmmaker has thrown his weight behind the Congress MP's claims by filing a sworn affidavit with the Election Commission.
National Film Award-winning director and social activist Luit Kumar Barman has submitted a notarized affidavit to the Chief Election Commissioner via email, supporting Gandhi's allegations of electoral fraud in Karnataka and...
Add new comment