Ahead Of PM Modi's Assam Visit, AASU Faces Police Force To Demand Repeal Of CAA

Ahead of PM Narendra Modi's visit, the procession by AASU had a clash with the police as students faced lathi-charge and detention aimed to stop the agitation.

Dibrugarh: Security personnel stop activists of the All Assam Students Union (AASU) who were staging a torch rally to protest against Citizenship Amendment Act 2019, in Dibrugarh, Assam, Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. (PTI Photo)

Guwahati: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit, the All Assam Students Union (AASU) on Friday had taken out torchlight processions to have their demands be heard which prominently include scrapping of the Citizenship Amendment Act. 

Procession by AASU had a clash with the police as students faced lathi-charge and detention aimed to stop the agitation.

As per earlier reports, 4 AASU members were injured in a clash with the police who stopped them from taking out the torchlight procession at Tezpur. Following the incident, the district unit of the influential students’ organisation called for a 12-hour Sonitpur Bandh.

In Guwahati, police had barricaded the AASU headquarters 'Swahid Bhawan' and protesters were not allowed to move out with torchlights. So the students' body continued their protest behind the barriers.

Besides, Citizenship Amendment Act, the AASU is also in favour of repealing the Environmental Impact Assessment Act and seeks implementation of the report of the Committee on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, which protects the constitutional rights of indigenous people.

AASU advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya and president Dipanka Kumar Nath had an argument with the police officers, who asked students to hand over the torchlights for the rally to be permitted.

"We refuse to hand over the torchlights as this was a part of our protest programme and we will not change it. We, time and again, assured the authorities that our agitation will be non-violent, democratic and peaceful but the BJP government is scared as they failed the people of Assam," Bhattacharya said.

The Advisor criticised Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who was the president of the AASU when Bhattacharya was its general secretary, for using police to suppress the agitation.

"It was from Swahid Bhawan that Sonowal reached the chief minister's office and now he is sending force to stop democratic and peaceful protests. This is shameful and we condemn this," he said.

"AASU had taken out torchlight processions since the Assam movement against foreigners and no dispensation stopped it. This is the first government to take such a step, and this proves that the CM is a coward and his government is afraid of non-violent and democratic protest," Bhattacharya added.

Slogans were raised against Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and CM Sonowal.

The PM had assured AASU that the recommendations of the committee will be implemented to the "last comma and full stop, but it will be nearly a year now that the report was submitted, and no action has been taken so far", he alleged.

"The constitutional safeguard under Clause 6 of Assam Accord is our democratic right and not any charity by the prime minister or the home minister. Our protests will continue till these demands are fulfilled," the AASU leader asserted.

PM Narendra Modi will be visiting Sivasagar district on Saturday to launch a special programme of the state government to distribute land 'patta' or allotment certificates to more than one lakh landless indigenous people.

Following this, Home Minister Shah is scheduled to visit the state on Sunday.

AASU plans to stage protests in all district and sub-divisional headquarters by covering their faces with black cloth during Modi’s visit on Saturday, and then the influential orgnisation will observe 'Black Day' on January 24 by burning copies of the CAA during Amit Shah's visit.

(With Agency Inputs)