The Hindu : New Delhi News : Protest against attack on Adivasis

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Sunday, Dec 02, 2007
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Protest against attack on Adivasis

Staff Reporter

—Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

Protest: Activists of AllIndia Progressive Women’s Association and the AISA holding a demonstration outside the Assam Bhawan in New Delhi on Saturday.

NEW DELHI: Activists of the All-India Students’ Association, All-India Progressive Women’s Association and several citizens’ groups staged a demonstration near Assam Bhavan here on Saturday protesting against the brutal attack on Adivasi protesters in Guwahati recently during a rally demanding grant of Scheduled Tribe status for them.

The demonstration also protested against the public stripping and humiliation of a young tribal girl by the mob.

Addressing the demonstration, AISA national general secretary Ravi Rai pointed out that the tea tribes from other States had been forced by the British colonial powers to work as indentured labour on tea plantations and that there could be “no ground for denying them the Scheduled Tribes status”. Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union president Sandeep Singh said the incident was a “matter of shame” for the Congress regime in Assam and at the Centre.

AIPWA general secretary Kumudini Pati said her organisation had declared a State-wide Protest Day on the issue in Jharkhand on Monday.

Later the protesters submitted a memorandum signed by several signatories to the Resident Commissioner of Assam demanding resignation of the State Chief Minister and a judicial enquiry into the events.

Bandhua Mukti Morcha leader Swami Agnivesh and Radhika Menon of the Forum for Democratic Initiatives also took part in the protest.

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