Railway services along the Assam–Bengal border remained under tension on Tuesday after a planned railway blockade in Gossaigaon and Salakati areas of Kokrajhar district was suspended following intervention by the Central Government.
The indefinite railway blockade was scheduled to begin from 6 am as part of a protest demanding Scheduled Tribe status for the Koch Rajbongshi community and the creation of a separate Kamtapur state. Several Koch Rajbongshi organisations, including AASU and the Kamtapur State Demand Council (KSDC), had extended support to the call.
Protesters gathered in large numbers at Babubil in Gossaigaon early in the morning. However, they could not proceed with blocking the railway tracks as planned. Heavy security arrangements were put in place at Gossaigaon railway station and other sensitive locations to prevent any disruption to train services. Police personnel were deployed in strength to manage the situation and control the democratic protest. 
Later in the day, the protest organisers announced that the indefinite railway blockade had been suspended after the Central Government invited representatives of the organisations to New Delhi for talks.
AKRSU president Dipen Roy said the decision to suspend the protest was taken after assurances from the Centre. “We carried out our protest and both the state and central governments are aware of our strength. We protested on the railway issue in Gossaigaon, and they were concerned. Last night, the Home Ministry’s North East advisor, A K Mishra, called us and requested that we stop the protest. Respecting his words, we stopped the agitation today. We have given our word that if our problems are resolved through talks and dialogue, we will move forward peacefully,” Roy said.
However, the Kamtapur State Demand Council warned that the suspension is temporary. The organisation stated that if the proposed talks fail to produce results within a week, they will resume the railway blockade.
