Bodo Betrayal? ABSU Sparks New Wave of Tribal Assertion

A series of massive protest rallies led by the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) erupted across multiple districts of Assam, demanding immediate implementation of the 2020 BTR Accord and constitutional safeguards for the Bodo community. The coordinated agitation, held in Biswanath, Jonai, Kokrajhar, and Rangia, accused both the Central and Assam governments of delaying critical commitments made under the peace agreement.

In Biswanath, hundreds joined a protest march that began at Kachari Field and proceeded through the main town before concluding at Kamalakanta Kshetra. The ABSU unit submitted a memorandum addressed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma through the District Commissioner.

Protesters said that even after five years of signing the BTR Accord, several core clauses remain unimplemented, depriving the Bodo people of their constitutional and political rights. They raised slogans demanding justice, rights, and recognition, alleging that the government had failed to honour its commitments “word by word.”

A similar massive rally was organised in Jonai under the leadership of the All Bodo Students’ Union and several Bodo organisations. The march, which saw the participation of thousands, began from Murkongselek Mising Cultural Complex. A memorandum was submitted to the local administration for onward submission to the Chief Minister. During the rally, ABSU clarified that they were not opposed to granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six other communities of Assam, but cautioned that any policy affecting the existing rights of tribal communities would be strongly resisted.

In Kokrajhar, the heart of the Bodoland region, a mass mobilisation was held with demonstrators marching from Children’s Park to HS & MP Government Playground. ABSU President Dipen Boro, Karbi Democratic Council President Kripesh Daimary, and KDC General Secretary Kampa Basumatary led the protest. ABSU also announced a nationwide mobilisation plan, including a two-day dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and a seminar on constitutional rights under the Sixth Schedule, scheduled for 20–21 November 2025.

Rangia also witnessed a powerful protest rally as hundreds marched through the main streets, raising slogans against the state government. The demonstrators accused the government of delaying constitutional protections promised under the 2020 accord and warned of intensified agitation in the coming months if their demands were not met. Protesters condemned what they called systematic negligence of tribal rights and regional development.

Across all protest venues, ABSU reiterated a seven-point charter of demands. These include the amendment of Article 280 and the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution as per the 125th Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2019; granting Scheduled Tribe (Hill) status to Boro-Kacharis living in Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao; granting full-fledged status to the Bodo-Kachari Welfare Autonomous Council (BKWAC) with village notification, delimitation, and elections; provincialisation of schools and colleges in BTR and Bodo-medium institutions outside BTR; inclusion of additional Bodo-dominated villages from Sonitpur and Biswanath districts; land rights for indigenous people under the Forest Rights Act, 2006; and the immediate release of a ₹1,500 crore Special Development Package for infrastructure in BTR areas.

ABSU leaders warned that the government must introduce the 125th Constitutional Amendment Bill in the upcoming winter session of Parliament. Failure to do so, they said, would trigger intensified agitation, including economic blockades, sit-in demonstrations, and state-wide protests. The message from ABSU was clear: dialogue may continue, but delay will no longer be tolerated.

With mobilisation expanding beyond the Bodoland Territorial Region to other parts of Assam and now heading towards New Delhi, the ABSU movement appears to have entered a decisive phase. The unrest signals a renewed assertion of Bodo political identity and rights, raising questions about the government’s commitment to long-standing tribal concerns.

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