SC Students' Union Protests Govt Bias in Assam's Sivasagar

The All Assam Scheduled Caste Students’ Union (AASCSU) staged a massive protest in Sivasagar’s Dolmukh area on Friday, accusing the BJP-led Assam government of systematically depriving members of the Scheduled Caste (SC) community of their constitutional rights and entitlements.

Raising slogans against state minister Pijush Hazarika, the organisation alleged that SC communities in Assam have been excluded from several welfare schemes and benefits meant exclusively for them. The protesters condemned what they described as the government's “discriminatory policies and anti-SC mindset,” demanding urgent intervention.

A key flashpoint of the protest was the state government’s reported move to grant Scheduled Caste status to the Keot community—a decision AASCSU fiercely opposes.

“If Keots are given SC status, it will pose a grave threat to the existing Scheduled Caste communities. It will dilute the limited constitutional safeguards we have and push us further to the margins,” an AASCSU spokesperson said during the protest.

The organisation termed the move as a betrayal of the original intent of constitutional reservations and warned of a broader social backlash if the demand to include Keots in the SC list is pursued further.

Charter of Demands

The protestors submitted a detailed set of demands aimed at ensuring equitable rights and protections for SC communities in Assam, including:

• Guaranteed 16% reservation for SCs across all sectors including government jobs, higher education, and private enterprises.

• Reservation of at least 16 seats for SC candidates in the Assam Legislative Assembly and two seats in the Lok Sabha.

• Land rights for landless SC families and land pattas (titles) for SC families who have possessed land for over 20 years.

• Tax exemptions for SC government employees posted in tribal and backward areas.

• Crackdown on fake SC certificate holders who have secured government jobs by fraudulent means.

The protesters also demanded a review of state policies to ensure that all existing government schemes are made accessible to genuine SC beneficiaries, without bureaucratic or political obstruction.

With fiery slogans and placards denouncing the state government's inaction, the protest turned Dolmukh into a charged zone of resistance, drawing attention from locals and civil society groups.

A Warning to the Government

AASCSU warned that Friday’s protest was just a beginning.

“If our demands are not addressed, we will intensify our movement across the state. This is a fight for dignity, not just rights,” the leaders said.

The protest signals growing unrest among Assam’s SC population over perceived marginalisation under the current regime. By bringing the Keot issue and land rights to the forefront, the students’ union has effectively sounded an alarm on what they call “a slow erosion of constitutional protections” for vulnerable communities.

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