Loggerheads over rally keep police on their toes : Citizenship Amendment Bill

GUWAHATI/TINSUKIA: The Citizens’ Rights Protection Forum, Assam (CRPFA) calling a rally on November 17, 2018 in Guwahati in support of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 while a number of indigenous organizations, including the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba-Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) and the All Moran Students’ Union (AMSU) teaming up to foil the move seems to have posed a law-and-order threat to the State.

The police administration in the State is worried over the development taking place in the State on the controversial Bill. Talking to The Sentinel, a top-level police officer said: “We’re worried over the stand taken by the two parties – one supporting the rally and the other opposing it. We’re taking measures to avert any untoward incident”.

Also Read: Citizenship Bill to help Hindu Bengalis entering Assam before 1971: Citizen Right Protection Forum, Assam (CRPFA)

Meanwhile, All Moran Students’ Union leaders Arunjyoti Moran and Dwipen Lahon said that the CRPFA has called such an open rally in Guwahati soon after the State BJP taking a resolution in support of the Bill at its recent executive meeting at Majuli. “However, under no circumstances, the people of Assam are going to accept the Bill.

We appeal to all indigenous people of the State to protest the November 17 rally with all might. We’ve called a citizens’ meeting in Tinsukia on October 21, 2018 to device the strategy to oppose the November 17 rally. There’s no compromise on the truth that ‘a foreigner is a foreigner, no matter which religion he/she practices’,” Moran said, and added: “The BJP governments, both at the Centre and in the State, are playing a role on the Bill that goes directly against the sentiment of the people of Assam. The AGP, on the other hand, is also doing nothing tangible on this front.”

The CRPFA is a conglomerate of 26 Bengali organizations.