Protests against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016

Correspondents

Dibrugarh, May 23: The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 has apparently stirred widespread protests throughout the State. On Tuesday, Dibrugarh District Committee of Axomiya Yuva Mancha along with Barbaruah Anchalik Samiti took out a big rally in Barbaruah against the proposed bill which has attracted quite a lot of flak from the people of Assam of late. The procession started from the Sukapha Bhawan, went till BCPL, Lepetketa, and moved back only to block the National Highway in front of the Barbaruah Police Station. The agitators of the said organisations held the proposed bill to be highly detrimental to the Assamese community, and cried slogans while condemning the move by the Lok Sabha. The members also asserted that they would continue their protests until the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was declared null and void. It is noteworthy that the protests against the said bill just don’t seem to cease here. Many indigenous organisations have come forward to register their vehement objections. While some have resorted to rallies to generate awareness among the public about the aftermath of the bill, the others have initiated mass signature campaigns in a bid to rally support for the cause.

TINSUKIA: Opposing the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, Makum Bengali Samaj (MBS) took out a protest rally at Makum in Tinsukia district on Wednesday. MBS secretary Subhash Baruah, apprehended that if this Bill came into force, the very existence of present Bengali Hindu population would be in danger, age-old harmony among different communities will be jeopardized. The rally after marching main thoroughfare of the town converged at the main centre which was addressed by Kajal Choudhury among others. The participation in the rally was spontaneous with people from all walks of life joined the march.

DEMOW: The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) Thowra Constituency took out a torchlight rally on Tuesday evening from Demow Public Playground throughout the Demow area in protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. In the torchlight rally, the leaders of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) Thowra constituency sharply opposed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and shouted various slogans against the BJP government.

Gohpur: On Wednesday, various educational institutions of Gohpur staged a walk out with All Assam students’ union (AASU) Gohpur subdivisional committee in protest against Citizenship (Ammendment) Bill 2016. A huge numbers of students from various educational institutions gathered in the head office of Gohpur AASU. About five hundred students took part in the rally.