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Monday, Dec 10, 2007
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Student body to launch fast-unto-death

Sushanta Talukdar

To press for demand for creation of a separate State

Guwahati: The All Koch-Rajbanshi Students’ Union (AKRSU) will launch a fast-unto-death beginning on December 14 to press for its demand for creation of a separate Kamatapur State comprising 11 districts of Assam and five districts of North Bengal. The student body warned that if required, it would also take up arms and raise the demand for a “sovereign Kamatapur” instead of a separate State.

AKRSU president Biswajit Ray and general secretary Pradip Ray told reporters here on Sunday that apart from the student body, members of the Chilarai Sena and Koch-Rajbanshi Mahila Samiti would also take part in the fast-unto-death programme to be staged in the city.

To move court

The student body has also decided to move the Supreme Court on its demand to include the Koch-Rajbanshis in the Scheduled Tribes list.

The AKRSU leaders accused the political parties of betraying the community and making false promises on the demand for ST status. The AKRSU demanded that the Bodos and Sonowals be excluded from the ST lists.

The All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam(AASAA) on the other hand has set a December 15 deadline for the release of its leaders who were arrested in connection with the November 24 violence in the city’s Belotola locality.

Agitation programmes

The AASAA has announced that if the State government failed to respond to this deadline then it would undertake agitation programmes like Assam Bandh on December 17 and Gherao of Deputy Commisisoner and Sub-Divisional Commissioners across the State on December 18.

Both the AASAA and the All Assam Tea Tribe Students’ Association (AATTSA) have also clamped a ban on entry of politicians into tea garden areas and adivasi villages and have jointly set December 15 deadline to the Centre for granting ST status to the adivasis and tea tribe comunities.

Several Bodo bodies have opposed the inclusion of six communities — Koch Rajbanshis, adivasi and tea tribes, Tai-Ahoms, Morans, Mottucks and Chutias — in the list of Scheduled Tribe at the cost of political rights and privileges currently enjoyed by the existing tribal communities.

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