Assam: Kamatapur State Demand Council protests in Kokrajhar for separate state , ST status
Guwahati: The Kamatapur State Demand Council (KSDC) organized a massive protest rally in Assam's Kokrajhar on Friday, reigniting their longstanding demand for a separate Kamatapur state and Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Koch-Rajbongshi community.
The council also called for an immediate tripartite meeting between the Centre, Assam government, and the Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) to address their unresolved grievances.
The rally, led by KSDC Kokrajhar district president Baniram Barman, started from the Dimlagao public playground.
Hundreds of protesters marched through Kokrajhar’s streets carrying banners and chanting slogans before gathering at the Block Development Officer’s office in Titaguri.
There, they submitted a memorandum addressed to the Union Home Minister, Prime Minister, and President of India through the local administration.
During the rally, Barman warned, “Our people’s patience is running out. Just as the government negotiated with the NDFB and BLT, it must now hold talks with the KLO to resolve the Kamatapur issue and grant ST status to our community. Otherwise, protests will escalate, Assam will burn, and the responsibility will lie with both the Centre and the state.”
The memorandum urged both the Central and state governments to recognize the Koch-Rajbongshi community’s cultural and political aspirations.
It stated that the community has felt marginalized and ignored despite repeated promises.
Barman also issued a stern warning to the ruling BJP, stating that ignoring their demands ahead of the 2026 Assam Assembly elections would provoke a “befitting response” from the KSDC and the Koch-Rajbongshi community at the polls.
“We have waited long enough. If the government continues to ignore our voices, we will make ourselves heard through the democratic process,” Barman declared.
This protest marks a significant escalation in the decades-long movement for Kamatapur statehood, a persistent political issue across lower Assam, north Bengal, and adjoining regions where the Koch-Rajbongshi population is concentrated.