AASU leaders, actor court arrest for second day, released

AASU leaders Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharya and Lurinjyoti Gogoi along with actor Barsha Rani Bishaya and hundreds of other agitators courted arrest for the second consecutive day on Tuesday as part of their 'Mass Satyagraha' against the amended citizenship law, police said.

Guwahati Police Commissioner Munna Prasad Gupta told PTI that the AASU activists had courted arrest and were "not detained".

"They are doing this as part of their Satyagraha programme. We released them later and now they are on their way to their homes," he said.

The agitators courted arrest in front of the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup Metropolitan district and were taken to a temporary jail inside the Dighalipukhuri tank complex.

All Assam Students' Union (AASU) chief adviser Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharya said the Centre has to either repeal the amended Citizenship Act or keep arresting them every day.

AASU general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi said the government is on one side doing nothing to repeal the Act and on the other doing a "drama" by arresting them.

"The government is playing the Hindutva card. However, Assam will not fall prey to their communal agenda," he said.

Bishaya termed the amended Citizenship Act as an "anti-Assam Act" and said protests against it will continue.

AASU's three-day 'Mass Satyagraha' began on Monday at Latasil playground and they marched towards the DC's office on Tuesday.

Apart from students, actors, musicians, singers, teachers, lawyers, doctors and litterateurs and the elderly took part in the protest march.

They sang and recited poems inside the temporary jail complex.