Khaleej Times

Students up in arms against Citizenshi­p Bill

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guwahati — The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and 28 other organisati­ons on Thursday staged an agitation in Dispur against the government move to execute the Citizenshi­p (Amendment) Bill 2016 in Assam and other parts of the North-East.

Hundreds of people drawn from AASU and 28 other outfits took part in a rally organised from Ganeshguri to Dispur in protest against the Bill, saying it will threaten the existence of indigenous people of Assam and northeaste­rn states.

“Today we are holding a warning demonstrat­ion. We urge the Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal-led Assam government to say an emphatic ‘no’ to the Bill. If the government goes ahead with it, none sitting in Dispur will be spared,” said AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattachar­yya while addressing the rally.

He said the BJP came to power in Assam riding on promises of change. “Nothing has changed in the last two years. The illegal Bangladesh­is are supposed to leave the state, it did not happen. The indigenous people are supposed to get

constituti­onal safeguard, again, nothing happened,” he said.

AASU President Dipank Kumar Nath said their democratic movement and crusade against the Citizenshi­p (Amendment) Bill, 2016; the Foreigners (Amendment) Order, 2015; the Passport (Entry into India) Amendment Rules, 2015 and the proposed long-term visas to people from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanista­n would continue.

“The Centre is out to insult the Assam Accord by amending the Citizenshi­p Act. We are not going to let that happen. We’ll continue our protest till the Centre cancels the Citizenshi­p Bill, 2016. We appeal to all linguistic and ethnic groups of the state to oppose the Bill unitedly,” Nath said. —

The Centre is out to insult the Assam Accord by amending the Citizenshi­p Act. We are not going to let that happen Dipank Kumar Nath, AASU president

 ?? PTI ?? All Assam Students Union activists along with 28 ethnic organisati­ons take out a procession during a protest against the Citizenshi­p (Amendment) Bill 2016 in Guwahati on Thursday. —
PTI All Assam Students Union activists along with 28 ethnic organisati­ons take out a procession during a protest against the Citizenshi­p (Amendment) Bill 2016 in Guwahati on Thursday. —

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