Massive Rally In Dibrugarh: Tea Community Demands Land Rights, ST Status

A large demonstration swept through Dibrugarh on Monday as members of the tea community took to the streets to demand recognition as a Scheduled Tribe, higher daily wages and secure land rights.

Lakhs of participants gathered and took part in the rally.

The rally, centred on Chowkidingee Chariali, drew tea workers and supporters from across the district and beyond, creating an unprecedented show of strength that organisers said will be sustained until their demands are met.

The protest was jointly organised by a coalition of tea‑worker and Adivasi groups, including the All Assam Tea Tribe Students Association, Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha, Adivashi Student Association, All Assam Tea Community National Assembly and the 36 Janajati Parishad, among others.

In anticipation of the mobilisation, all 120 tea gardens in Dibrugarh district remained closed for the day. Local transport was disrupted as lakhs of people converged on the rally site.

Speaking to the media, one protestor warned the state and central governments: “From Dibrugar, we send a message tea workers and the Adivasi community are awake. If our demands are not met before 2026, we will respond politically without hesitation, just as we did with the Congress.” 

Despite the size of the mobilisation, organisers and local authorities emphasised that the demonstration remained largely peaceful.

The scale of Monday’s rally marks a critical escalation in long‑running grievances within Assam’s tea belt — where decades of low wages, insecure land tenure and limited social recognition have fuelled frustration.

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