Over 10,000 join Tai Ahom rally in Margherita demanding ST status, autonomous council

Doomdooma, Nov 11: The coal town of Margherita reverberated with fiery slogans and blazing torches on Sunday evening as thousands of members of various Tai Ahom organizations took to the streets demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status and the creation of an autonomous council for the Tai Ahom community.

Organized under the banner of the Tai Ahom Unity Platform, the massive protest rally witnessed the participation of over 10,000 people, representing organizations such as the Tai Ahom Yuba Parishad, Asom (TAYPA), All Tai Ahom Students' Union (ATASU), Ahom Sabha, Tai Ahom Mahila Parishad, Poi Furalung, and the Purvanchal Tai Sahitya Sabha.

The rally began with the lighting of earthen lamps before the statue of Chaolung Siu-Ka-Pha near the Eco Park and proceeded from the Margherita Town High School playground, marching through NH- 315 before culminating at the North Margherita Rangmanch.

With flambeaus in hand, protesters shouted slogans demanding tribal recognition and self-governance, turning the streets of Margherita into a sea of voices and lights. The protest leaders lambasted the ruling BJP governments both at the Centre and in the State, accusing them of betraying the Tai Ahom community with false promises since 2014.

The organizations reiterated their long-standing demand for ST status and an autonomous council, urging the government to fulfil these assurances before the 2026 Assembly elections. They cautioned that failure to do so would lead to intensified agitation and even a boycott of the upcoming elections.

The demonstration marked one of the largest recent mobilizations by the Tai Ahom community in upper Assam, underscoring the growing impatience among its members for constitutional recognition and autonomy.