Activists burn a motorcycle in protest against holding of elections to Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council without excluding non-Rabha villages as demanded at Rangsai in Goalpara district. Picture by UB Photos

Goalpara, Oct. 26: After the 96-hour strike that ended today, the Non-Rabha Co-ordination Forum and the Non-tribal Students’ Union will start a “civil disobedience movement” in Goalpara and Kamrup districts from tomorrow.

The president of the forum, Sahjahan Ali, said, “The Assam government is not listening to the demand of the non-Rabha people and forcefully holding elections to Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council without excluding non-Rabha villages. So we will start a civil disobedience movement from tomorrow”.

He said their programmes were manifold and warned that the movement could turn “more violent”. “Our supporters may block roads, railway tracks and post pickets in front of offices. The government will be responsible for any untoward incident,” Ali warned.

Violence had rocked the district during the 96-hour strike, which was called by non-Rabha organisations. Some miscreants, suspected to be bandh supporters, tried to set two schools in Tukreswari, 25km from here, and Malamdubi, 35km away, on fire last night but were stopped by residents.

A motorcycle, however, was completely burnt in Rangsai under Lakhipur Police station, 25km from here.

Today, some non-Rabha and All Assam Minority Youth Students Council members also burnt effigies of Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi and minister for welfare of plain tribes and backward caste, Rajib Lochan Pegu, at Gaurnagar-Chataimary Road under Lakhipur police station.

The state election commission is holding polls to the 36 constituencies of the council in three phases on November 13, 16 and 25. Non-Rabhas are demanding exclusion of villages, having less than 50 per cent Rabha population, from the council area before holding the council polls.

The Goalpara district administration termed the demand unjustified. “Initially the council comprised 401 revenue villages. But when controversy arose between Rabha and non-Rabhas, we had a discussion with leaders of both the organisations where they accepted 333 villages to be included in the council. But non-Rabha organisations again demanded exclusion of 91 non-Rabha villages. On the demand of the organisations, the state government excluded 10 villages from the council,” a senior official of the district administration said.