ATSU Protest: Students injured in lathi-charge, demand special TET for Tiwa language teachers

Morigaon: Several people, including police personnel, were injured in Morigaon district of Assam on Monday during a lathicharge on protesters, who were demanding inclusion of Tiwa council areas under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, officials said.

The All Tiwa Students' Union (ATSU) staged a protest at Jagiroad during the day, blocking a stretch of National Highway-27 to press for their demands, including the issue concerning the Tiwa council areas. "The BJP-led governments, in the state and the Centre, showed an apathetic attitude towards solving the basic problems of Tiwas. If they fail to fulfil the demands, we will go for an intensified agitation from January," ATSU general secretary Tarun Madar asserted.

The protesters have been demanding that the Tiwa Autonomous Council be included in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, eviction of illegal encroachers from the tribal belt and block, and employment of local educated Tiwa youths in the Tata semiconductor unit, among others.

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The agitators have also demanded conducting a special Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) examination to appoint Tiwa language teachers, and recognition of the community as 'Tiwa' instead of 'Lalung' in the Constitution's tribal list. A senior police officer said that as the agitators blocked the highway for a long time, they were asked to clear the way for traffic. "This highway is the only link connecting Upper Assam with Guwahati. If it is blocked for 30 mins, a massive traffic jam takes place, creating difficulties for commuters," he said.

When police tried to clear the highway, a scuffle ensued, and to control the crowd, the personnel lathi-charged on the protesters, the officer said. "In the scuffle, a sub-inspector was injured. Some protesters also suffered minor injuries. The situation is under control now," he said. All the injured received medical care, the officer added.