Protest in Assam against Citizenship Bill

A total of 28 organisations on Friday staged a demonstration here, protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

The All Assam Students' Union (AASU) called for a 'Jan Satyagraha' on Friday and thousands of people representing different organisations and individuals took part in the programme.

The event was intended to "send a strong message to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led governments in Delhi and Dispur against the proposed constitutional amendment Bill".

Thousands of people took out a huge protest rally from Latasil playground to Assam Engineering Institute Ground at Chandmari, shouting slogans against the Bill.

"The agitation against the Bill will continue until the government decides to scrap it. The Bill must be scrapped, the BJP-led government in Assam must ensure sealing of the India-Bangladesh border and implementation of the Assam Accord," said AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharyya, addressing the rally.

Bhattacharyya said that the government must take up the issue of infiltration from Bangladesh with the neighbouring country, and both must sign a bilateral agreement to ensure there is no infiltration from Bangladesh.

AASU General Secretary Lurin Jyoti Gogoi also expressed his displeasure regarding the Central and the state government's move to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016.

"The state governments in Meghalaya, Manipur and Mizoram have unanimously decided to oppose the Bill. If those states can pass a cabinet resolution to oppose the Bill, why the Sarbananda Sonowal (Assam Chief Minister) government cannot take similar decision," he said.

Gogoi also appealed to the alliance partners of the BJP-led government in Assam to take up the issue of the Bill strongly inside the Assam legislative assembly.

--IANS

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