Assam: Copies of CAA Burnt, Statewide 'Hartal' Declared As Centre Notifies Rules

The 16-party United Opposition Forum, Assam (UOFA), announced a statewide hartal scheduled for Tuesday, along with other planned agitational activities.

Students of Cotton University stage a protest after the central government notified the rules for implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, in Guwahati, ( Image Source :PTI )

New Delhi: The All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and 30 indigenous organisations on Monday protested by burning copies of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in various parts of Assam, including Guwahati, Barpeta, Lakhimpur, Nalbari, Dibrugarh, and Tezpur.

The 16-party United Opposition Forum, Assam (UOFA), announced a statewide hartal scheduled for Tuesday, along with other planned agitational activities.

"We will continue with our non-violent, peaceful, democratic movement against CAA. Alongside, we will also continue our legal fight", AASU advisor Samujjal Bhattacharjya told PTI. He asserted that the indigenous people of Assam and North East will never accept CAA.

In solidarity with this sentiment, the North East Student Organisation (NESO) has announced plans to burn copies of the CAA in all state capitals of the region on Tuesday. Additionally, the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) along with 30 allied organizations are set to organize torchlight processions across Assam, and launch a satyagraha from the next day, he said.

In Dibrugarh, tensions escalated as members of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) clashed with police when authorities attempted to obstruct their procession from their office in the Chowkidingi area. Meanwhile, in Nalbari district, AASU staged a protest rally and symbolically burnt copies of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in front of the local municipal board office.

Highlighting the exemption of Sixth Scheduled areas and states with provisions for Inner Line Permit (ILP) in the North East from the CAA, Bhattacharjya raised concerns about the inconsistency in its enforcement across the region. He questioned the rationale behind enforcing a law deemed detrimental to certain parts of the North East while exempting others, including eight districts in Assam, as per PTI.

Bhattacharjya further mentioned that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) contradicts the provisions of the Assam Accord, which established March 25, 1971, as the cut-off date for the identification of illegal migrants in Assam. The AASU had been at the forefront in protesting against the CAA since the bill proposing the legislation was brought by the central government, and has already filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the Act.

Meanwhile, students have started protesting against the CAA in different parts of the state, including in front of Cotton University in Guwahati.

The Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), formed in the wake of the anti-CAA movement in 2019-20, has mobilised protests across various parts of the state. Displaying black flags and chanting slogans against the government, AJP members marched in protest, including in Guwahati.

Lurinjyoti Gogoi, the general secretary of the United Opposition Forum, Assam (UOFA), and president of AJP, confirmed the forum's call for a statewide 'hartal' on Tuesday. He stated, "We are moving forward with our plan for a hartal tomorrow. "We are going forward with our programme of a hartal tomorrow. We will also take up other protests, including gherao of the state secretariat, as announced earlier", he said.

Opposition political parties, student bodies and other organisations had announced intensifying protests against the CAA when the rules were notified for its implementation.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reiterated his stance, urging opponents of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) to challenge it through legal channels, emphasizing that street protests would yield no results since the legislation had already been passed by Parliament.

CM Sarma also cautioned against political parties calling for bandhs, citing a Gauhati High Court order that prohibits such strikes. With the issuance of CAA rules, the Narendra Modi-led central government is poised to grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who arrived in India until December 31, 2014. These include Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians.

The CAA was passed in December 2019, its implementation was delayed until now due to the lack of notification of rules.