Anti-CAA stir: Assam peaceful, curfew relaxed in Dibrugarh

Guwahati, Dec. 21 (PTI):The situation in Assam was normal though protesters took out peaceful rallies against the amended Citizenship Act in various parts of the state on Saturday, police said.

The curfew imposed in Dibrugarh following violent protests against the new citizenship la w was relaxed for 16 hours since 6 am on Saturday as the law and order situation improved, they said.

The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), which is spearheading the agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Act, has planned a sit-in later in the day in Guwahati.

Mobile internet services were restored on Friday in Assam after nine days of its suspension while broadband services had resumed on December 18.

The Assam police had urged people to be cautious while posting or sharing information on the social media and said action would be taken against those violating peace and harmony in the state.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has allayed fears over the Act and said he would not allow anyone to harm the rights and honour of the state’s indigenous population.

Internet back in Assam: Twitterati heaves sigh of relief

“Internet is back” -- this was a common status of many users on social media platforms as mobile data services were restored across Assam on Friday, ending a nearly 10-day internet drought in the state.

From students to professionals, teenagers to adults, people heaved a sigh of relief, and many took to Facebook and Twitter to express their sentiments and opinions.

While most were just relieved to see the mobile internet connection back in their phones, many Twitter users also thanked the lawyers associated with the case after PILs were filed in the Gauhati High Court challenging the suspension of internet services in the state.

Internet services were suspended in Guwahati in Kamrup (Metro) and several other districts on December 11 evening to prevent misuse of social media in disturbing peace and tranquility as well as to maintain law and order.

The services were restored on Friday even as protests against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) continued in the state.

“After 9 days, finally government has resumed mobile Internet Services in Assam as per high court’s order,” wrote Nabajyoti Lahkar, a user on Twitter and signed off with ‘Jai Ai Axom’ -- the rallying cry of the anti-CAA movement.

Chinmoy Deka, a student of B Borooah College in Guwahati, was relieved to use his smartphone after nine days.

“The moment I turned on internet on my phone, dings of Facebook and WhatsApp notifications on my phone kept making the jangling noise. I had several thousands notifications on WhatsApp. It just kept pouring in,” he told PTI.

Deka, who opposed the CAA and had joined protests earlier, said with internet restored, many people also resorted to making and sharing memes mocking leaders of the central and state governments who have been supporting the law.

“On WhatsApp and Facebook, many kept their status as ‘Internet is back’, in English, Assamese or both. Some used sarcastic remarks to criticise the government over the internet services suspension,” he said.

Several social media users also thanked the lawyers associated with the case heard by the GHC after public interest litigations were filed to challenge the suspension of internet services.

The Gauhati High Court had earlier directed the Assam government to restore mobile internet services at 5 pm on Thursday.

A division bench of Justices Manojit Bhuyan and Saumitra Saikia gave the direction after hearing four PILs filed by journalist Ajit Kumar Bhuyan, advocates Bonoshri Gogoi, Randeep Sharma and Debakanta Doley.

While many took to social media to express their views on the anti-CAA agitation, Assam Police asked people to be cautious in posting anything on such platforms.

“Mobile Internet services have been restored in the state. We request citizens to be cautious while posting or sharing unverified/provocative information on Social Media.

“We are looking forward to your continued support in ensuring peace & harmony in the State,” Assam Police tweeted.

AASU accuses Modi, Shah and Sonowal of misleading people

All Assam Students Union(AASU) Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal of misleading people that their identity, language and land are secure though Bangladeshis are being settled here through the contentious legislation.

AASU chief advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya speaking at an anti-CAA women's rally here claimed that the three leaders are misleading the people of Assam "with their unique formula of assuring to protect the indigenous people and at the same time bring in Bangladeshis here through the CAA".

"We don't understand their (BJP's) peculiar formula. On the one hand they say the language, identity and land of the Assamese people are secure, on the other hand they will bring in Bangladeshis here through the CAA threatening the very existence of the indigenous people", he said.

AASU president Dipanka Kumar Nath said the Modi government is misleading and creating confusion among the people to keep those Bangladeshis who entered the state till December 2014 using the CAA when the Assam Accord of 1985 said that all those who came in after Bangladesh independence on March 26, 1971 will have to leave.

"Through the Assam Accord we have on behalf of the country already taken the burden of illegal foreigners on our small state. Because of CAA now, we cannot take the additional burden till December 2014", he added.

"We have given the illegal migrants all facilities in Assam so far, but we cannot allow them to contest elections in our state," he said.

Bhattacharya referred to Sonowal claiming that only a negligible number of refugees from Bangladesh in Assam will be benefited by the amended Citizenship Act and said, "If the number is negligible then let him (Sonowal) tell Modi and Shah to take them from Assam and settle them in Gujarat. Being a small number, those people can be taken in one train only from Guwahati railway station".

On the different number of illegal Bangladeshis here and in the country provided by the government, he said Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's figure is five lakh in Assam, when former Union Home Minister Indrajit Gupta had informed Parliament in 2004 that one crore migrants were in the country. The union minister of state for home Jaiprakash Jaiswal had said the figure was 1.2 crore.

AASU general secretary Luringjyoti Gogoi addressing the rally claimed that the Modi government has brought the Citizenship Amendment Act with a "communal agenda".

"The Act is disastrous as the settlement of large number of Bangladeshis in Assam will change the demographic pattern here affecting the existence of Assamese people, besides wiping out our Assamese language with Bengali.

The Bangladeshis will encroach our land, take away our jobs and political right," he said, adding"We will not accept even one more Bangladeshi - either Hindu or Muslim in Assam"