Hindu Bengalis to raise citizenship issue

Citizens’ meeting of Hindu Bengalis slated for July 9 in Guwahati

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, July 2: The Bengali Hindus of Assam are going to meet in Guwahati at a mammoth congregation on July 9 to brainstorm on the citizenship issue of Bengali Hindus and other problems afflicting the community.

The congregation to be held at ITA Centre of Performing Arts at Machkhowa in Guwahati is being organized jointly by the Chara Bharat Bangali Udbastu Sanjukta Committee’s Assam State Committee and the Chara Assam Bangali  Yuva-Chatra Federation. The congregation is set to brainstorm on the issue of citizenship of Hindu Bengalis in Assam.

The major issues and demands to be discussed and raised at the congregation are (i) putting pressure on the Centre to introduce a Bill to ensure Indian citizenship to all Bengali Hindus during the Summer Session of Parliament slated for August this year so as to ect an Act granting citizenship to all evicted Bengalis, (i) to ensure the unconditiol release of ill-fated Bengali Hindus who have been languishing in various detention camps in the State, (iii) the inclusion of the mes of every Bengalis in the NRC, (iv) as has been done in Gujarat and Rajasthan, amendment to the relevant Act to give Indian citizenship status to the Hindu Bengalis, and  (v) implementation of paragraph 2(B) of the Immigrants Expulsion Act, 1950 for the protection of the Bengali Hindus.

Talking to newsmen today, Chara Assam Bangali  Yuva-Chatra Federation president Dipak Dey said: “Harassment continues ubated on Bengalis in Assam. For the past few days, Bengalis are picked up and kept in detention camps to languish in the me of crackdown on D voters. A panic has been created among the members of the community. This apart, what will be the stand on Hindu Bengalis in NRC update?  The Centre’s assurance on according Indian citizenship status to the Hindu Bengalis is still to be accomplished. This is the reason why we’ve called a citizens’ meeting in Guwahati on July 9. We appeal to all Hindu Bengalis to remain present at the meeting.”

Dey also said that Assam Assembly Speaker Ranjit Das, ministers Himanta Biswa Sarma, Parimal Shuklabaidya, Pramila Rani Brahma, BTC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Hagrama Mohilary, MLAs Shiladitya Dey, Bhuban Pegu, Gunin Das and leaders of various other organizations have been called to the congregation.