Chutia community to stage mass protest in Titabor on Oct 25 demanding ST status
The Chutia Yuva Sanmilan warned of statewide agitation if the government fails to grant ST status before the 2026 elections
An image of Chutia Yuba Sanmilan press brief.
Jorhat, October 24: The Chutia Yuva Sanmilan, Assam has announced a mass protest in Titabor on October 25, demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Chutia community. The protest marks a renewed phase of agitation as frustration grows over what the community describes as repeated “betrayals and neglect” by successive governments.
Addressing a press conference, a representative of the organisation said that the Chutia community has been demanding ST recognition since 1979, yet no government has taken any concrete step to fulfil their demand.
“For 45 years, we have appealed for ST status, but every administration has failed us. Even the current government has not moved forward on the issue,” he said.
The representative recalled that in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a public address in Assam, had assured that the six ethnic communities, including the Chutias, would be accorded ST status within 100 days of coming to power.
“It has now been two full terms since that promise, but the assurance remains unfulfilled,” he lamented.
The organisation further alleged that the Assam government has not yet submitted the mandatory expert report to the Centre, terming it a reflection of the state’s “lack of interest and seriousness” in resolving the long-pending issue.
As part of the agitation, thousands of Chutia people are expected to gather at Borhola in Titabor, Jorhat, where they will stage a road blockade to press their demand. The organisation has warned that if the government does not act before the 2026 Assembly elections, it will escalate the movement into a statewide agitation.
Emphasising the community’s deep historical and cultural roots, the representative said, “The Chutias are one of Assam’s oldest indigenous groups and deserve rightful recognition under the ST category. If the government continues to ignore us, it will face the consequences at the ballot box.”
In a pointed remark directed at Tribal Union leader Aditya Khakhlari, who has been opposing the inclusion of the Chutias in the ST list, the Chutia Yuva Sanmilan invoked a line from late singer Zubeen Garg’s popular song “Politics Nokoriba Bondhu” (“Don’t Do Politics, My Friend”), urging him not to politicise the issue.
Concluding their statement, the organisation announced that if the government fails to take swift and concrete action, the third phase of their agitation will be launched across Assam, marking an intensified push for their long-awaited recognition.