Congress kicks off 800 km long ‘Padyatra’ in Assam to protest against CAA

Guwahati, Dec. 22 (PTI): Protest against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act continued on Sunday with the opposition Congress kicking off an 800-km long ‘Padyatra’ from Sadiya to Dhubri.

Sadiya is a far east town of Assam and Dhubri is the headquarters of the western most district, which is located along the India-Bangladesh border.

“We have been stating it very clearly that Assam will never accept this Act. It is anti-Assam and anti-Northeast.

Congress party is with the people of Assam,” Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Ripun Bora said.

Addressing a huge crowd, the Rajya Sabha MP said that the agitation will be further intensified till the Act is repealed.

Meanwhile, a public funeral service in memory of teenager Sam Stafford, who was killed in firing by the security forces, was organised in Guwahati on Sunday.

Hundreds of people, including AASU leaders, celebrities, writers, artistes and general public, attended the function and condemned the “government’s brutality”.

“The chief minister and his forces are engaged in killing innocent children. The minor, Sam, is the first martyr of the anti-CAA movement. We will not forget him and we will not sit down until the Act is repealed,” All Assam Students’ Union president Dipanka Kumar Nath said at the function.

Protest marches were organised at several tea gardens of upper Assam, while a huge gathering against the law took place in Rowta of Udalguri district.

People and artistes came out in large numbers in Guwahati and other places during the day.

Assam has witnessed one of the worst violent protests by the public in its history with three rail stations, a post office, a bank, a bus terminus, shops, dozens of vehicles and many other public properties being set ablaze or totally damaged.

Already five persons, including four in firing by security forces, have lost their lives since December 11.

After the Rajya Sabha passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill on December 11 night, the state erupted in uncontrolled protests, in which agitators engaged in pitch battle in almost every major city or town, forcing the administration to impose curfew.

Several towns and cities were placed under indefinite curfew, including Guwahati, the epicentre of protests, besides Dibrugarh, Tezpur and Dhekiajuli. Night curfew was imposed in Jorhat, Golaghat, Tinsukia and Charaideo districts.

With the situation is turning to normal, the curfew has been lifted from several cities and were relaxed in the rest.

Hindu-Muslim colour given to anti-CAA stir — NE protesters at Jantar Mantar

People from the north-east gathered at Jantar Mantar here on Sunday, claiming that the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) were given a Hindu-Muslim colour and the voices from the region fighting for the rights of indigenous people ignored.

The protesters, including students and civil society members, said they were deeply hurt and distressed by the police “brutality” on those against the CAA, but “our protest is about our rights”.

“We will not let others hijack our agenda. We are here to speak about our people. You cannot always ask one to take more people,” Tripura’s royal scion Pradyot Deb Barman, who is also present there, said.

“We respect their protest. We sympathise with the students of Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University. It does not matter if you are a Hindu or a Muslim, the CAA is going to trigger a massive demographic change in the north-east,” a protester said.

“I am sure if Muslims are included in the list of communities to be granted citizenship through CAA, they will not protest. But we will protest anyway,” she added.

Ningthem Meitei, 23, said the movement against the CAA started from Assam, but “it has been hijacked in a way. We are not being represented”.

“We condemn the violence against students and unarmed protesters. We stand with all those protesting against the CAA. But our protest is also about the demographic challenges confronting us,” he said.

For the people of the north-east, the issue of CAA goes beyond Hindus and Muslims, Denis (25) said.

“In Tripura, indigenous people account for only 30 per cent of the population. People from other regions and neighbouring countries are migrating to the state,” he said.

The protesters also demanded that police release RTI activist Akhil Gogoi and others arrested for demonstrating against the CAA.