Shutdown in Assam’s Dhubri after police action on people demanding ST status; officers suspended

GUWAHATI

Police action on people who took out a rally demanding Scheduled Tribe status for the Koch-Rajbongshi community led to a 12-hour shutdown in western Assam’s Dhubri district on Thursday (September 11, 2025).

The shutdown was called by the All Koch-Rajbongshi Students’ Union (AKRSU), representing the community, one of six in Assam seeking the ST status.

Normal life was affected in parts of the district bordering Bangladesh, specifically in the Golakganj area, where the police cane-charged people who took out a rally in support of the demand on Wednesday night. Locals claimed more than 100 people, including women, were injured.

The resulting tension prompted Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to rush Public Health Engineering Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah to the affected area and assuage the protesters.

“The Chief Minister sent me to find out what exactly happened. I met the injured in the hospital. They are all stable. The incident occurred due to a misunderstanding,” he told journalists after assessing the ground situation.

Mr. Baruah said the police officer in charge of Golakganj was reserve-closed and then suspended, while an order was issued to reserve-close the police officer in charge of Gauripur, a nearby area.

“We received complaints against three other officers – the district’s Senior Superintendent of Police and two Deputy Superintendents of Police. We have directed the DIG (Deputy Inspector General) concerned to conduct a probe and submit a report within five days,” he said.

According to reports, police and paramilitary personnel stopped the demonstrators after they took out the torch rally from Chilarai College towards Golakganj Bazaar. This led to a scuffle, followed by a cane charge.

The AKRSU regretted imposing the shutdown, but stated that it was taken to make the voices of the Koch-Rajbongshi community heard. The union has also been demanding the creation of a separate Kamtapur state for the community.

Apart from the Koch-Rajbongshi, five communities are seeking ST status. They are Adivasi, Chutia, Matak, Moran, and Tai-Ahom.

On September 6, hundreds of people from the Moran community hit the streets of eastern Assam’s Margherita, demanding ST status and autonomy under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.