Tea, Adivasi communities plan massive protest in Tinsukia ahead of CM Sarma’s visit
Tight security expected during the CM’s tour as ATTSA & AASAA to lead a massive demonstration in Doomdooma
File image of Tinsukia district tea estate (Photo: @DRPRADIPBARUAH2/x)
Doomdooma, Oct 7: As Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma gears up for a two-day visit to Tinsukia district on Tuesday and Wednesday, the region is bracing for a massive show of strength by the tea and Adivasi communities.
Over one lakh people are expected to take part in a protest rally on October 8, demanding the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status and other long-pending rights.
The rally is being organized jointly by the Tinsukia district committees of the Assam Tea Tribe Students’ Association (ATTSA) and the All Adivasi Students’ Association, Assam (AASAA), with support from the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha units of Doomdooma, Margherita, Tingrai, and Panitola circles, as well as several other community organizations.
The protesters will press for the immediate granting of ST status to the tea and Adivasi people of Assam, distribution of land pattas among landless members of the community, and enhancement of the daily wage of tea garden workers to Rs 351.
The organizers said that preparations are in full swing across the tea estates in the district, with workers and youth mobilizing in large numbers for the rally. “If the government tries to obstruct the protest, the people will break through all barriers to make their voices heard,” warned ATTSA Tinsukia district president Jagat Nayak.
Authorities are expected to maintain tight security arrangements in view of the Chief Minister’s visit and the massive public mobilization planned for the same day.
Correspondent