CAA protest re-started in Assam after a yearlong break
The protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019 on Friday December 11 was restarted just before the state’s Assembly election in the next few months.
The law which grants citizenship to the persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians evokes protest in the state of Assam first and then begins to spread all over the nation. In Assam the protest turned violent last year and five people were killed in police firing. The anti-CAA protest last year saw curfews in the states and internet was shut down for 10 days by the ruling government. These restrictions did not strangle the voice of the opposing people as they came out in numbers to raise their voices against the legislation.
The indigenous community of Assam had a feeling that the introduction of CAA will only lead to an invasion of illegal migrants from the neighbouring country of Bangladesh, and this in turn would hurt the indigenous communities sentiments.In restarting the CAA protest there are 18 organizations that now have come out in support of the protests. The major organizations involved are North East Student Organization (NESO), All Assam Student Union (ASSU), Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) and Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS).
The student organization which is in affiliation with NESO has marked December 11 on Friday as a black day this year. Last year on December 11 the Rajya Sabha passed the bill and confirmed it as a law now known as CAA. These organizations also observed this day as a black day in the previous year.
KMSS which has been in the forefront of the anti-CAA protest with AASU and AJYCP last year again ignited a fresh round of protest from Thursday. In Sivasagar on Friday the organization staged a massive protest and declared that a state-wide mass protest will be followed on Saturday. Akhil Gogoi the founder of the KMSS was arrested on December 12 last year for violently inflaming anti-CAA protests in Assam. He has yet not been released and continues to remain behind bars till date. ‘
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