Guwahati, Nov. 5: Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal today assured at least 40 organisations, representing indigenous minorities, that the state government is committed to protect them from any threat and they have no reason to be afraid.

"The indigenous minority communities are sons of the soil and there is no need for them to be afraid of any political discourse," an official statement issued by the chief minister's office said this evening.

Sonowal met the representatives of the communities in Dispur today.

He said the state government would work to ensure equal opportunity and uphold their fundamental rights and constitutional safeguards for them.

Sonowal also urged the indigenous minority communities to play a bigger role in development activities and act as major stakeholders in the functioning of the government.

Many minority communities have expressed concern that their interests might be affected if the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 is passed by Parliament.

The bill seeks to grant citizenship to minority migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who faced religious persecution.

ST demand: A team of All Adivasi Students' Association of Assam will meet officials of the Registrar-General of India in New Delhi on November 23 on Scheduled Tribe status for tea tribes.

The association members will take out a torch-lit procession on November 12 across the state to press for its demand, its general secretary, Deben Orang, said today. The association also opposed the Centre's move to grant citizenship to religious minorities from Bangladesh.