BONGAIGAON, July 9 - The Kalita Janagosthi Sanmilan, Asom, on Wednesday staged a three-hour sit-in demonstration from 11 am in Bongaigaon town and sent a memorandum to the Chief Minister, demanding Scheduled Tribe status.
The Sanmilan undertook the Statewide programme for the first time to draw the attention of the Government towards their demands.
The Sanmilan, which was formed in Guwahati in 1986, in its memorandum, raised the demand to grant the community the ST status under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. They also called for the consideration of other issues relating to the community�s Constitutional benefits and rights.
�We are not opposed to the inclusion of six communities of the State in the ST list. We only demand our inclusion in the same list,� said Bharat Chandra Deka, vice president of the Sanmilan.
The leaders of the Sanmilan claimed despite bearing tribal traits, they have been deprived of the benefits and rights unlike the other tribes due to the alleged negligence of the Government.
The population of Kalita community is around 80 lakh in the State and the people of this community use 108 other surnames, said Durga Charan Das, district general secretary of the Sanmilan.
