Colleges, varsities in Assam boycott classes
Guwahati, Jan. 22: Classes across universities and colleges in Assam were affected on Wednesday due to the “total shutdown” call given by students unions of nine varsities from North East on a day the Supreme Court heard pleas on the CAA.
However, examinations were conducted peacefully as the agitators had kept it out of the shutdown.
The students unions of Tezpur University, North Eastern Hill University, Gauhati University, Assam Women’s University, Assam Agricultural University, Dibrugarh University, Nagaland University, Rajiv Gandhi University and North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology called for the boycott.
“We will not accept the CAA at any cost. We called for class boycott on Wednesday and our agitation will continue till the Act is repealed,” Dibrugarh University Post Graduate Students Union General Secretary Rahul Chetry said.
Hundreds of students wearing black badges and carrying black flags gathered at the gate of Dibrugarh University and burnt copies of CAA.
Chetry informed that 21 universities of North East will organise a “Tiranga March” in Guwahati on January 26 against the law.
Accepting that classes did not take place, Dibrugarh University Internal Quality Control Director, Kalyan Bhuyan said, “Usually January is our vacation month. However, examinations are going on peacefully.”
Students of Gauhati University burnt copies of the CAA notification outside the varsity and raised slogans against the BJP and the contentious law.
No classes were held at Tezpur University due to the boycott call, but examinations proceeded without any interruption, the varsity’s Students Council President Jyotish Pal Deka said.
At Cotton University, a sit-in demonstration was organised under the aegis of the students union, which did not call for a boycott of the classes.
“We did not call for class boycott as examinations are going on. We organised the sit-in and invited all to come and join us. Students came and took part in the protest batch by batch without affecting classes,” Cotton University Students Union General Secretary Rahul Bordoloi said. The affiliated colleges of these universities across Assam saw students coming out of the classes and protesting against the CAA. Students of Digboi Women’s College blocked the NH-37 in the afternoon. At North Lakhimpur College, thousands of students came out of their campus and hit the roads.
Black flags were hoisted at colleges across Sivasagar, Sonari and Dhakuwakhana.