Jagiroad town in Morigaon district witnessed a day of tension on Monday after a sudden protest by members of the Tiwa Students’ Union stopped traffic movement on National Highway-27 for several hours. The highway is one of the main routes that connects Guwahati with Nagaon and the sudden blockade caused long queues of vehicles on both sides, leaving commuters stuck on the road through most of the afternoon.
According to information from the area, the students took position on the middle of the road without prior notice and started raising slogans about long-pending issues related to the Tiwa community. Their main demands include proper implementation of the Tiwa Autonomous Council, land rights for community members, and development-related schemes in Tiwa-dominated areas. The students said that these matters have been ignored for many years and that repeated appeals to the authorities have not brought any concrete results.
People travelling through the highway reported that many passenger buses, private cars, and trucks carrying essential goods were forced to stop as the protesters blocked both directions of the road. Drivers said they had no information about any protest and were unsure how long the situation would continue. Local residents also gathered near the area as the situation slowly grew tense. 
Police reached the spot and made repeated attempts to convince the protesters to clear the road. However, after the protest continued, a clash broke out between the security forces and the agitators. Eyewitnesses said stone-pelting started from one side, following which police used lathicharge and tear-gas shells to bring the situation under control. In the scuffle, several protesters received injuries and a number of police personnel, including a senior officer, were also hurt. Officials stated that some of the protesters were detained for attempting to block the road and for pelting stones.
