Silchar, Aug. 26: The All Cachar Karimganj Hailakandi Students' Association today threatened to stage protests across Barak Valley against the state government's decision to scrap a number of holidays from the academic calendar.

It also demanded update of the National Register of Citizens in accordance with the 2014 voter list.

The adviser to the central committee of the association, Rupam Nandi Purkayastha, said a students' convention would be organised in Karimganj within the second week of September where a decision on when to start the protest would be taken.

Purkayastha said education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's diktat of slashing holidays from the academic calendar of the valley clearly reveals his "anti-Barak" mindset. "But, the association will not be silent over the matter and will raise its voice again and again so that the message reaches Dispur that people here are not going to accept this autocracy," he added.

He said the number of holidays during Durga Puja used to be 20 days but the state government plans to reduce it to just four days which "is not acceptable". "Durga Puja is the biggest festival for the people of Barak Valley." he stressed.

"Besides, the government has also scrapped holidays on Manasa Puja, Chhath Puja, Shivratri, Fateha-Doaz-Daham and others," he said.

The association had, on June 29, called a strike across the valley and had staged protests in Silchar on the issue of holiday cuts from the academic calendar.

Purkayastha alleged that the Sarbananda Sonowal-led BJP government has done "nothing" for Barak Valley. "The government has announced financial help for families of Assam Agitation martyrs but it has not thought about the families of the martyrs of 1961 Bengali Language Movement. This reveals its step-motherly attitude towards Barak Valley. Many had sacrificed their lives in the valley in 1961 but the government has no interest in them or their families," he alleged.

Assam PWD, fisheries and excise minister Parimal Suklabaidya told The Telegraph this afternoon that he recently had a talk with chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal over the issue of holidays and he had assured him that he would look into the matter and take necessary steps.

On the allegation of government help only for the families of Assam Agitation martyrs, Suklabaidya said the association, rather than making an issue out of everything to gain media glare, could have sent a letter/memorandum to him about the matter. He said the government considers both the Brahmaputra Valley and the Barak Valley with equal importance.

On the NRC update, he said a call on the matter would be taken by the Supreme Court.

Silchar MLA and Assam Deputy Speaker Dilip Kumar Paul said nothing has been finalised about revocation of the holidays and hoped the matter would be resolved soon. He also hoped the government would give proper recognition to the martyrs of Bengali Language Movement as well as other movements in the state.