Moran and Motok Enforce 48-Hour Bandh in Upper Assam Over Cabinet Exclusion

Overview

• Protest groups led by the All Moran Students' Union began a 48-hour bandh in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh that started at 5:00 am on Friday to protest their exclusion from a 12-member Cabinet expansion.
• Organisers say no MLA from the Moran or Motok communities was inducted in the new Cabinet and they called the shutdown to press long-pending promises made before the election.
• Demonstrations included tyre-burning, slogan-shouting and temporary road blockages that halted vehicular movement and forced most shops and businesses to close.
• District administrations deployed security personnel and kept emergency services operating while local reporting said public transport ran sparsely during the shutdown.
• The demand for Scheduled Tribe recognition underpins the protest because ST status would bring legal benefits and reservations, and organisers warned the agitation could be intensified if authorities do not respond.