Thousands join in protest against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill

A Correspondent

MANGALDAI, June 7: The people of Mangaldai, the place where the historic Assam Movement against foreign infiltrators had started in 1979, were once again reminded of those passing days when a mass public rally against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 took place on Thursday. The rally, organized by inter-Mangaldai unit of AASU in coordination with several local non-political like-minded organizations like the Forum for Former Assam Movement activists, families of the Assam Movement martyrs, Mangaldai Bar Association, Brihattar Asomiya Yuva Mancha and North Mangaldai Club, witnessed participation of several thousands of people from different walks of life. They gheraoed the Deputy Commissioner’s office and shouted slogans against the Bill and the BJP-led governments both at the Centre and the State. They demanded the Deputy Commissioner to meet the protesters and receive the copy of the memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister.

However, as the Deputy Commissioner refused to come down to the protesters and instead sent his two ADCs to receive it. The leaders of the protesters decided not to submit the memorandum through the Deputy Commissioner and to send it directly to the Prime Minister. In the memorandum signed by Gautam Kalita, president (i/c) and Satyaranjan Deka, general secretary of AASU, Inter-Mangaldai unit respectively, there were charter of demands which included scrapping of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, implementation of Assam Accord within a stipulated time, sealing of the entire Indo-Bangla border with immediate effect and constitutional safeguard for the indigenous people of the State.

The rally also marked a protest meeting in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office where several present and former AASU leaders of Darrang, Sonitpur and Udalguri districts including Santanu Mahanta, Bhargab Kr Das, Anjan Goswami, Jadav Sarma and Diganta Mani Bora were present.