Anti-Citizenship Amendment Act led by AASU rocks Lakhimpur

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR: “We will never accept CAA Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 nor do we will allow the BJP-led government to enforce it in our native land.” Expressing this bold stand against the contentious Act, several thousands of people, from students to octogenarians, irrespective of castes, creeds and professions, led by AASU (All Assam Students’ Union), rocked Lakhimpur on Tuesday.

Participating in the ‘Gana Satyagraha’ programme, initiated by the Lakhimpur district unit of the AASU in association with 30 ethnic organizations, took out a large protest rally in North Lakhimpur town from the Government Boys’ HS School playground. The protesters in the rally which covered almost three kilometres distance expressed vehement resentment and grievances against the BJP-led governments in the Center and the State along with the CAA by shouting various slogans.

The protesters termed Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal as traitor and villain in their slogans for supporting the Citizenship Amendment Act while Prime Minister Narendra Modi as liar and dictator for adapting the Act ignoring the interest of the indigenous people of Assam and the protest programmes initiated by multiple organizations of the North-East region.

Then they demonstrated strong protest in front of the Lakhimpur Deputy Commissioner’s office for more than an hour paralysing the normal situation. Finally, executive magistrate Monjit Borkakati ordered Lakhimpur police to arrest the protesters for violating the 144 Cr.PC. Police arrested hundreds of AASU leaders and the thousands of protesters along with central committee finance secretary Krishna Das, Lakhimpur district unit president Pulok Jyoti Borah, general secretary Dhanmoni Dutta.

Then the arrested leaders and the protesters were shifted to the Government Boy’s HS School playground wherein police and security forces kept them stranded. The protesters rocked the environment by shouting slogans demanding the scrapping of the Act even after being arrested. Later they were released.

Prior to it, Lakhimpur AASU and the allied anti-CAA organizations organized a mega protest meeting wherein the common people took part coming from different parts of the district in a rally. In addition to the activists of the ethnic organizations, the members of Lakhimpur district units of Indian Medical Association (IMA), Sadou Asom Karmachari Parishad, Chambers of Commerce, HS School Teacher and Employees’ Association, Srimanta Sankardeva Sangha, Marwari Samaj, LP Teachers Association, ASHA workers Union, Jatiya Aikya Sangrami Mancha, took part in the protest meeting and the rally demanding the scrapping of the Act. Dr. Debojit Borah from IMA, Lakhimpur unit general secretaries of SAKP and LP Teachers’ Association, Chakradhar Sonowal from Srimanta Sankardeva Sangha, journalists Sailen Baruah, Kumud Baruah, Achyut Borgohain from ATASU, Sunil Tirky from ATSU, Jayanta Borah from AACSU, AASU finance secretary Krishna Das became vocal against the governments in the Centre in the State. The artistes of the district took part in the stir by singing revolutionary songs.

On the other hand, the Central committee of All Assam Unemployed Association also demonstrated sit-in at Adarsha Bazaar premises in association with the Lakhimpur District Senior Citizens’ Association demanding the scrapping of the CAA.

Similarly, Lakhimpur Bar Association, Lakhimpur unit of AAMSU staged sit-in in North Lakhimpur town demanding the same. The 36-hour long mass hunger strike initiated by Lakhimpur unit Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) with the same demand in front of the DC office concluded at 5 pm of the day.

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