BIHALI: The Bihali branch of the Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association on Wednesday held a three-hour sit-in protest, demanding land pattas for tea workers, Scheduled Tribe status for the tea community and higher daily wages.
The protest was organised with the support of the Assam Tea Tribes Women’s Association outside the office of the Bihali Co-District Commissioner. More than 100 students and women took part in the demonstration, carrying placards and raising slogans against the government.
The protesters demanded land rights for tea workers who had worked in tea gardens for generations. They also sought Scheduled Tribe recognition for the Assam tea community and a revision of daily wages in line with rising market prices.
“The government has ignored our demands for years. If these demands are not accepted soon, we will be compelled to launch a bigger democratic movement,” the secretary of the association’s Bihali branch said.
“Women tea workers are still deprived of minimum wages and basic facilities. The government must consider our concerns,” a leader of the Assam Tea Tribes Women’s Association said.
The protesters submitted a memorandum addressed to the Assam government through the Bihali Co-District Commissioner at the end of the protest.
