📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Nayan j Nath
Politics
AASU stages 'funeral' of Assam Food Department as price‑rise protests spread
✍️ The Assam Tribune
🗓 04 Sep 2026, 02:33 AM
👁 20
Student leader bodies in Assam organised a symbolic funeral for the state Food Department, protesting soaring food prices across the state.
Guwahati, Assam – The All Assam Students' Union (AASU) orchestrated a symbolic funeral for the state Food Department on Thursday, marking a dramatic escalation in protests against rising food prices. Demonstrators gathered outside the department’s office, draped black cloths and performed funeral rites to convey their frustration over what they described as a “death” of affordable food.
The protest follows weeks of escalating public anger as staple items such as rice, wheat and cooking oil have witnessed sharp price hikes, squeezing household budgets in both urban and rural areas. AASU leaders demanded immediate intervention from the state government, calling for price controls, increased subsidies and a transparent mechanism to curb hoarding.
Police reported a peaceful assembly with no incidents of violence, though traffic around the department’s premises was temporarily disrupted. State officials have yet to issue a detailed response, but a spokesperson said the government is monitoring the situation and reviewing existing price‑stabilisation measures.
Analysts note that the protest reflects broader discontent in the Northeast, where inflationary pressures are compounded by supply‑chain bottlenecks and limited local production. The symbolic funeral is intended to pressure the administration into swift corrective action before the situation further destabilises the region’s economy.
The protest follows weeks of escalating public anger as staple items such as rice, wheat and cooking oil have witnessed sharp price hikes, squeezing household budgets in both urban and rural areas. AASU leaders demanded immediate intervention from the state government, calling for price controls, increased subsidies and a transparent mechanism to curb hoarding.
Police reported a peaceful assembly with no incidents of violence, though traffic around the department’s premises was temporarily disrupted. State officials have yet to issue a detailed response, but a spokesperson said the government is monitoring the situation and reviewing existing price‑stabilisation measures.
Analysts note that the protest reflects broader discontent in the Northeast, where inflationary pressures are compounded by supply‑chain bottlenecks and limited local production. The symbolic funeral is intended to pressure the administration into swift corrective action before the situation further destabilises the region’s economy.