AASU appeals to Home Minister for inclusion of tea tribes

New Delhi, June 21 (UNI) The All Assam Students' Union (AASU) has urged Home Minister Shivraj Patil for the inclusion of five tea tribes in the list of Scheduled Tribes.

An AASU delegation called on the Home Minister here today and submitted a memorandum listing their demand for the tea tribes-- (Adibasi) of Moran, Ahom, Mottock, Chutia and Koch-Rajbongshi-- to be included under the ST category.

The memorandum -- jointly signed by AASU president Shankar Prasad Ray and general secretary Tapan Kuman Gogoi -- said the demand for scheduling them was a fit case and the AASU supported their cause.

They further said the Koch-Rajbongshis deserved special mention because the community was granted Scheduled Tribes status through the Ordinance route on four earlier occasions but this had not been formalised by a law. ''The community is still living through uncertainity and great injustice had been done to them,'' they added.

The memorandum demanded that the government take special care not to disturb the interests of the existing tribal communities in Asom, and also urged it to take all possible measures to expedite the long-pending issues to meet the demand of the tribal communities.

UNI/BKS-DG HS KP1702