In Assam, where tea is one of the state’s defining industries, 36 communities known collectively as tea tribes are demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA), formed in 1996, has been spearheading this movement since the late 1990s. Recently, the agitation saw a breakthrough. According to AASAA’s George Dipak.
