Rani: The All Rabha Students Union (ARSU) is leading a protest for the gradual inclusion of the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC) area in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
Along with the ARSU, the All Rabha Women Council, the Sixth Schedule Demand Committee, the Rabha National Council, and many other organizations jointly conducted a mass bike protest rally through National Highway 17 from Jairamkuchi in Goalpara district to Rani in Kamrup district on Thursday.
It is worth mentioning that the ARSU bike rally covered the entire RHAC area, which spans from Jairamkuchi village to Rani, and includes 779 villages. More than 500 ARSU members participated in the protest rally with their bikes, covering a distance of around 155 kilometres.
The ARSU President, Nripen Khanda, and Secretary, Pradip Rabha, led the bike rally, which saw participation from members of various regional units of Rabha organizations. The rally began at 10 in the morning and concluded at the ARSU office in Rani at around 3 in the evening.
It is worth noting that the ARSU and other Rabha organizations have been continuously protesting through various means such as footwalk protests, mass gatherings, sit-in strikes in front of the revenue circles under the RHAC area, and torchlight rallies.
During the mass bike rally, the President of the ARSU, Nripen Khanda, stated that the purpose of the rally was to demand the inclusion of the RHAC area in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution and the establishment of a Rabha Development Council for Rabha people living outside the RHAC area.
Khanda also alleged that despite promises made by the present government to fulfil their demands, there has been a lack of goodwill, and the government has not taken any action to address their demands.
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“The government should show us in action, not promises, towards the Rabha Community so that our Rabha people will develop comprehensively,” added Rabha.
The Secretary of ARSU, Pradip Rabha, announced that their protest for the inclusion of the RHAC area in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution would continue. He added that they would hold a four-hour hunger strike in front of the DC offices on May 9, 2023. Following this, on May 16, 2023, they would protest for two hours in front of the Rajbhawan. Finally, on May 30, 2023, they would conduct a bicycle rally from Gobordhan in Kamrup District to Rangjuli in Goalpara and another rally from Krishnai in Goalpara to Rangjuli.
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