Assam Tea Tribes Stage Mass Protests Demanding Wage Hikes and Land Rights

Guwahati: Protesters from the tea tribe community held three-hour sit-in demonstrations on November 12 outside the Co-District Commissioner offices in Margherita and Kaliabor. The Assam Tea Tribes Students' Association (ATTSA) spearheaded the rallies alongside the Assam Tea Tribes Women's Association in Margherita. The groups want permanent land pattas, official Scheduled Tribe status, and higher daily wages for garden workers.

Discontent boiled over in Kaliabor. Protesters there loudly criticized community representatives Rupjyoti Kurmi, Pallab Lochan Das, Rameswar Teli, Sanjay Kishan, and Kamakhya Prasad Tasa. ATTSA leader Umesh Jal joined the chorus of voices demanding state action. Participants formally submitted a memorandum addressed to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma through the Kaliabor Co-District Commissioner to ensure their list of grievances reaches the top levels of government.

The unions sent a clear warning to the state leadership. If the BJP-led Assam government ignores these long-standing issues, the organizations plan to "launch a more intensive democratic movement in the coming days." The protests mark a sharp escalation in the fight for worker welfare and community recognition across the region.