Protest against directive to withdraw cases against illegal Hindu Bangladeshis

A CORRESPONDENT

BOKAKHAT: In Assam, the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and the Chatra Mukti Sangram Samiti (CMSS) protested against the recent directive of Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma’s BJP-led government to withdraw ongoing cases in Foreigners’ Tribunals against illegal Hindu Bangladeshis.

On Friday, near the office of the Marangi Revenue Circle Officer in Golaghat district, on National Highway 39, members of KMSS and CMSS burnt copies of the directive as well as an effigy of Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, shouting slogans such as “Himanta Biswa Sarma, who turns foreigners into natives – down with him,” “Himanta Biswa Sarma, protector of Bangladeshis – down with him,” “CAA must be repealed,” etc.

Leading the protest, CMSS central president Pintu Gogoi stated that the government under Himanta Biswa Sarma’s leadership, by withdrawing cases in the Foreigners’ Tribunal against illegal Bangladeshis, had decided to grant citizenship overnight to 69,500 accused foreigners under the CAA, a move that no Assamese or indigenous person would accept.

Gogoi further said that Assam is neither the ancestral property of Himanta Biswa Sarma, nor a grazing ground or dumping ground for foreigners. He declared strong opposition to the decision to exempt Hindu Bangladeshis who came between March 24, 1971 and December 31, 2014 from Foreigner cases.

According to him, as per the Assam Accord, any foreigner — Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, or of any religion — whether Bengali or Miya, who came after March 24, 1971 must leave Assam, and the government must take steps to deport them.

Regarding the CAA, Gogoi said that it was unconstitutional, anti-Assamese, and against the interests of the indigenous people, which was why most states and regions of the Northeast, as well as eight districts of Assam, had exempted themselves from it. Therefore, he demanded that this destructive and anti-Assam law be repealed across the entire state.

At the same time, CMSS demanded that the six indigenous communities of Assam be granted Scheduled Tribe status, that Assam be accorded the status of a tribal state, and that under Article 371 (A) of the Constitution, the state be given special status, granting the indigenous people control over its land and resources.

KMSS and CMSS also branded Himanta Biswa Sarma a ‘traitor’ for seeking to protect foreigners. They warned that if the directive to withdraw cases against illegal Hindu Bangladeshis in the Foreigners’ Tribunals was not revoked soon, the two organizations would launch a mass agitation across the state.

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