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Koch-Rajbangshi body seeks ST status

By Correspondent

UDALGURI, Jan 28 � The Udalguri district committee of the Koch-Rajbangshi Sanmilani (KRS) on Tuesday staged a two-hour sit-in demonstration on the premises of KBR auditorium here demanding the ST status to this particular tribe and sent a memorandum to the Prime Minister of India through the Deputy Commissioner of Udalguri district.

The KRS memorandum signed by Dandiram Deka and Braja Deka, president and general secretary respectively of the district committee, referred to the earlier ordinances brought up by the Union Government to enlist the community as a scheduled tribe of the State and said that the Koch-Rajbangshi community is an ethnic tribe of Assam and the people belonging to this community are the poorest among the poor and economically most backward among the backward communities.

The memorandum also regretted that the community, historically the oldest sons of the soil, a tribal community of Assam and had placed demands for enlisting it as an ST(P) tribe which was done by promulgating the first ordinance No. 9 in 1996, the second ordinance No. 3 in 1997 considering the recommendations made by the Government of Assam on August 9 in 1994 which was supported by the report of the Assam Institute of Research for ST and SC and also the recommendation made by the Registrar General of India on August 21, 1995 after struggling with the demand since 1967.

The memorandum further said that a Bill was passed in the tenth Lok Sabha seeking to replace the first ordinance in the last session, but was not taken for consideration due to the dissolution of the tenth Lok Sabha. Another Bill, No. 21, 1996 was introduced in the Parliament seeking to replace the third ordinance, No. 30, 1996 on July 12 in 1996, which was ultimately sent to the Parliamentary Selection Committee, but as the validity of the third ordinance was due to expire, so the third ordinance was repromulgated for the fourth time vide ordinance No. 3, 1997, recommending inclusion of the community of Assam in the list of ST(P), the memorandum further stated.

The Bill lapsed in the succeeding periods in the Parliament, depriving the community of their benefits and protection, which was granted on the strength of the ordinances, the memorandum observed. The memorandum also informed the Prime Minister of India that the community observed January 27 as �Cheating Day� and it would be in the minds of the ethnic tribe till it was not granted ST(P).

It is to be noted that the KRS observed the �Cheating Day� on Tuesday throughout the State.

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