Assam: Tiwa students block NH 27 to press for demands

MORIGAON: Activists of the All Tiwa Students' Union (ATSU) on Thursday blocked National Highway 27 in Assam's Morigaon district to press for several demands, affecting traffic movement and giving the commuters a harrowing time, officials said.

Their demands included the eviction of encroachers from reserved tribal belt and blocks and inclusion of the Tiwa Autonomous Council in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Hundreds of activists of ATSU and some other local groups staged the protest and blocked the highway at Nellie for about three hours, an official said.

When police tried to clear the highway, the agitators opposed and it led to a minor scuffle, a senior police officer said. "Later, the protesters submitted a memorandum to the chief minister through the local administration, highlighting their demands," he added.