AJYCP Members Arrested across Assam for 'Black Day' Protests against 'CAA'

Guwahati, January 11, 2019:

"From 40 years, we have been demanding Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Assam, but the Government, disregarding our desire, is imposing pro-Bangladesh law on us. But we only wish to clarify one thing -- no Bangladeshi will be given shelter her, be it Hindu or Muslim..", said an Asom Jatiyabadi Yuba Chhatra Parishad (AJYCP) member in Hailakandi during one of the numerous protests held by the student body across Assam.

Today, the indigenous people's organization observed a 'black day' to protest after the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) officially came into effect on Friday, a month after it was rammed through the Rajya Sabha by a BJP majority.

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In Nagaon, where the AJYCP took to the streets with large black flags in hand to mark their protest, several members were arrested. "They were staging a protest rally carrying the flags. However, they protesters and the authorities were seen engaging in a scuffle in front of the Nagaon College. Consequently, several of the protesters were arrested", a source informed Inside Northeast.

AJYCP activists across Assam were also seen burning effigies in several places such as Guwahati, Nagaon, and Jorhat. Like Nagaon, activists were also arrested in other locations, reports said.

Protesters took to the streets in droves carrying black flags and chanting slogans against the ruling regimes, as AJYCP workers could be seen in many nook and corners of Assam, decrying the Bill that is seen as a catalyst for an influx of Bangladeshi migrants into Assam. "Several of the protesters were arrested. However, they were later let go", a source told Inside Northeast.

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Tensions are running high in the Northeast in the wake of the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Act, and several indigenous bodies and students' organizations have been organizing protests against the Bill-turned-Act in Assam, which has not received any safeguards from the legislation.

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