String Of Bandhs Called By Tiwa Orgs In Middle Assam

Organizations including All Tiwa Students' Union (ATSU), All Tiwa Women Association (ATWA), Tiwa Autonomous Demand Committee (TADC), Tiwa Cultural Society (TCS), All Tiwa Protection Committee (ATPC) and Tiwa Yuba Chatra Parishad (TYCP) have called for a series of bandhs and road blockades across middle Assam on November and December over the recent Tiwa Autonomous Council election notification and the reduction of the ST reservation by two seats.

There will be a 12-hour bandh on November 23; a 24-hour bandh has been called on November 26 while on December 5, there will be a 36-hour bandh. On December 1, the National Highway will be blocked.

On December 17, the State Election Commission (SEC) of Assam announced the dates relating to elections in 36 constituencies to elect members to the General Council of the Tiwa Autonomous Council, strictly following the broad guidelines for the conduct of election during COVID-19 given by Election Commission of India and adopted by SEC, Assam.

The organizations have hence expressed dissatisfaction over the same and said that the election notification was not done as per law of the Tiwa Autonomous Council. According to a 2005 law, at first 25 constituencies of the TAC out of 36 constituencies were reserved for ST. The recent notification however said that 23 seats were reserved for the ST, which stirred a protest among the Tiwa organizations.