Guwahati, Nov. 2 -- Members of the Kalita community blocked National Highway 17 at Agia in Assam's Goalpara district on Monday, demanding recognition as an indigenous community and protection of their land rights under the Assam Land and Revenue Amendment Bill, 2026.

The protest was organised by the Kalita Jatiya Sanmilan, which alleged that provisions of the legislation could exclude members of the community from land rights and other protections.

The organisation demanded that the Kalita community be included in the list of indigenous ethnic communities under the legislation. It also called for the withdrawal of the requirement for three generations of documentary records, with January 1, 2006, as the reference date for establishing o...