Guwahati, July 11: The All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA) today said the de-scheduling of Adivasis after Independence by the first chief minister of Assam, Gopinath Bordoloi, was the main reason behind the plight of their community.

Members of the AASAA conveyed their feelings when they met Governor Shiv Charan Mathur and apprised him of their various demands.

The association also submitted a memorandum to the governor seeking his intervention in according Scheduled Tribe status to the Adivasis and the tea tribes.

The delegation told the governor that owing to lack of initiative on the part of the state and the Union governments in granting ST status to the community, it has been suffering economically, politically and socially for the past 60 years. The delegation informed the governor that the community has contributed a lot to the political and economical stability of the state and has always been a part of greater Assamese society.

The members alleged that the government had always suppressed the demands of the Adivasis. The association referred to the incident where eight AASAA activists were shot dead in Paneri in July 25, 2003, by government troops.

Besides, several Adivasis who were part of a procession, were beaten to death by a mob in Beltola last year.