Members of the All Rabha Students’ Union (ARSU), All Rabha Women Council (ARWC) and the Sixth Schedule Demand Committee held a two-hour demonstration at Jantar Mantar today calling for inclusion of the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC) under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. The protest was marked by the use of traditional Rabha attire, songs and slogans, as hundreds gathered to seek stronger constitutional safeguards for the indigenous communities living in the RHAC region.
After the sit-in, a delegation from the organisations met officials of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and submitted a detailed memorandum addressed to the Home Minister. The Ministry acknowledged the memorandum on December 12. The document explains the historical, administrative and demographic issues that have shaped the Rabha movement for almost 30 years.
The memorandum notes that RHAC, formed in 1995, was expected to protect the Rabha and other native groups in parts of Goalpara and Kamrup. However, the organisations said the Council still has very limited administrative and financial authority, which they believe has slowed development and weakened its institutions. They also raised concerns about demographic changes caused by illegal migration, calling the region a vulnerable zone without constitutional protection. 
The groups stated that several Assam governments in the past had themselves recommended Sixth Schedule status for RHAC because of its compact area and its 779 revenue villages. They said only a constitutionally strong autonomous council can properly protect indigenous rights and ensure stable administration in the long run. They requested the Centre to hold a tripartite meeting with the Assam Government and Rabha organisations to resolve the matter.
Nearly 500 people joined the protest. Among them was Tankeshwar Rabha, chief convenor of the Rabha Hasong Joint Movement Committee. Addressing the gathering, he criticised both the Centre and the State for not taking the issue seriously. He said it had been 15 months since the Centre asked the Assam Government for a report on RHAC, but no progress had been made.
He also pointed out that Parliament recently spent long hours debating the national song, while, in his words, “not even a minute” was spent discussing the constitutional rights of the Rabha people. He added that Parliament’s sessions cost large amounts of public money, yet the concerns of RHAC residents were still ignored. With Assembly elections approaching, he said the people of the region had come to Delhi with high expectations, and that their demands could not be overlooked any longer.
The memorandum was signed by ARSU, ARWC, the Sixth Schedule Demand Committee, the Rabha Hasong Joint Movement Committee and several allied groups from Goalpara and Kamrup. The signatories expressed hope that the Centre would act soon to safeguard the identity and future of the indigenous communities. They also said their movement would continue until RHAC is brought under the Sixth Schedule.
