Protests Against CAA Continues in Assam

The protest against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) continued in Assam with different programmes organized in different parts of the state by All Assam Students Union (AASU) along with 30 other organizations.

Protests against CAA erupted in the state since December 12 when the Parliament passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 on December 11. It amended the Citizenship Act of 1955 by providing a path to Indian citizenship for illegal migrants of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian religious minorities, who had fled persecution from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan before December 2014. Muslims from those countries were not given such eligibility.

Since the amendmentof the bill, Assam along with other Northeastern states especially Tripuracontinued their protests as it has been said Assam will have to bear the burdenof illegal Bangladeshis who have come to the state after 1971.

According to the All Assam Students Union, Assam will not take the burden of illegal foreigners who have come to Assam after 1971. "The BJP can't do whatever they want. We have been repeatedly saying that we will not take the burden of illegal foreigners anymore. The saffron party said that they will implement Clause VI of the Assam Accord to safeguard the Assamese community but we will not accept that. They cannot negotiate CAA with Clause VI," said AASU Adviser Samujjal Bhattacharyya while participating in the "Bajra Ninad" held today at Bhattadev University at Pathsala under the aegis of Barpeta district students union.  

On the other hand, "GanaGarjan" programme has also been organized at Kakopathar in Tinsukia demandingto withdraw the citizenship law. The protest has been organized under the aegisof Tinsukia district students union, Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chattra Parishad,Citizenship Amendment Act Birodhi Mancha among other organizations.

Hundreds ofprotestors thronged to join the protest demanding to scrap the act.