The Guwahati police has issued a legal notice to the political parties organizing a 'Sarbatmak Hartal' in Assam as a form of protest against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The notice serves as a stern warning, highlighting the potential consequences of any harm inflicted upon public or private property during the planned demonstration.
Addressed specifically to the "United opposition forum" orchestrating the protest, the notice orders the withdrawal of the proposed "Sarbatmak Hartal" and urges cooperation in maintaining peace within the state. Emphasizing the potential disruptions and damages that could arise from such a protest, including road blockades, forced closures of businesses, and destruction of public and private assets such as railways and highways, the notice underscores the legal implications and constitutional violations associated with such actions.
"...calling of such "Sarbatmak Hartal" will lead to Highway and Railway Track Blockade, which has been declared as illegal and unconstitutional by various judgements of Hon'ble Supreme Court of India, Hon'ble Kerala High Court as well as Hon'ble Gauhati High Court. In this regard your attention is drawn to the specific order passed by the Hon'ble Gauhati High Court in Writ Petition(C) 7570/2013 dated 19/03/2019," the notice read.
It further clarifies that any damages incurred during the protest to public life and property would result in the recovery of costs from the organizing entity, in accordance with relevant laws under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.
Meanwhile, the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) staged protests in Guwahati and other parts of the state by burning copies of the CAA rules, citing concerns that the act threatens the Assam Accord of 1971, which safeguards the cultural, economic, and political rights of Assamese people.
AASU Chief Advisor, Samujjal Bhattacharya, denounced the CAA as unjust, communal, unconstitutional, anti-indigenous, and a violation of the Assam Accord.
Bhattacharya stressed that Assam cannot bear the burden of illegal foreigners beyond 1971, asserting that the state should not serve as a dumping ground for illegal Bangladeshis. He pledged to pursue a non-violent, peaceful, democratic movement and legal recourse against the Central government's implementation of the CAA.
On the other hand, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma issued a warning against bandhs (strikes) violating court orders. He said that political parties would risk losing their registration for non-compliance. He argued that legal avenues, rather than street protests, were the appropriate channels for opposing the CAA.
“Everyone has a right to protest, but if a political party disobeys a court order, its registration may be cancelled," CM Sarma said.
The Union Home Ministry notified the rules for implementing CAA, coinciding with the imminent announcement of Lok Sabha elections. The CAA, passed by Parliament in 2019, aims to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who arrived in India before December 31, 2014.