Assam MP Gaurav Gogoi writes to NHRC to find out truth behind CAA protestors killing

Member of Parliament from Koliabor Gaurav Gogoi has sent a letter to the Chairman of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to know about the steps taken by NHRC to find out the truth behind the killing of five young, unarmed protesters in the police firing during the spontaneous street protest against the “Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)” that broke out across the state of Assam in December 2019. 

The letter read, “I am writing this letter to know about the steps taken by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to find out the truth behind the killing of five young, unarmed protestors in the police firing during the spontaneous street protest against the “Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)” that broke out across the state of Assam in December 2019. These young protestors were Sam Stafford, Dipanjal Das, Abdul Alim, Ishwar Nayak and Dwijendra Panging. The people of Assam do not accept the Citizenship Amendment Act because this violates the Assam Accord and makes the National Register of Citizens (NRC) toothless. Further the act is unconstitutional as it violates the basic structure of the Indian Constitution and is against articles 14 and 21. Therefore, I want to know if National Human Rights Commission have taken any steps to find out the truth behind the killings.”

Also Read: Akhil Gogoi appeals all opposition forces to unite against CAAhttps://www.insidene.com/akhil-gogoi-appeals-all-opposition-forces-to-unite-against-caa/

It may be mentioned that the Citizenship Amendment Act (Bill) protests, also known as CAA Protest or CAB Protest, occurred after the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was enacted by the Government of India on 12 December 2019. The move sparked a widespread national and overseas ongoing protests against the act and its associated proposals of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The protests first began in Assam and spread swiftly in other states such as Delhi, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura on 4 December 2019.Protests broke out rapidly across the country, although the concerns of the protesters vary.

The CAA amends the Indian citizenship to illegal migrants who are Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist and Christian from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan and who entered India before 2014 following the religious persecutions. The bill does not mention Muslims and other communities who fled from the same or other neighbouring countries. Refugees from Sri Lankan Tamils in India, Rohingyas from Myanmar and Tibetan refugees are not mentioned in the bill. The proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be an official record of all legal citizens of India. Individuals would need to provide a prescribed set of documents before a specified cutoff date to be included in it.

The amendment has been widely criticised as discriminating on the basis of religion, particularity for excluding Muslims. Protestors against the amendment demand that it be scrapped and that the nationwide NRC not be implemented.The bill has raised concerns among the Indian Muslim as well as poor Indians as they might be rendered stateless that could lead them to detention.They are also concerned that all citizens will be affected by the bureaucratic exercise of the NRC where they will have to prove their citizenship for inclusion in the registry.The protesters have raised voices against authoritarianism and the police crackdown in universities to suppress protests.

Protesters in Assam and other northeastern states do not want Indian citizenship to be granted to any refugee or immigrant, regardless of their religion, as they fear it would alter the region's demographic balance, resulting in a loss of their political rights, culture, and land.They are also concerned that it will motivate further migration from Bangladesh that could violate the Assam Accord which was a prior agreement reached with the central government on migrants and refugees.

The protests started in Assam on 4 December 2019, after the bill was introduced in parliament. Later on, protests erupted in Northeast India, and subsequently spread to the major cities of India. On 15 December, major protests took place near Jamia Milia Islamia in New Delhi and Aligarh Muslim University. As the protests broke out, mobs burnt and destroyed public as well as private properties and several railway stations were vandalised. Police forcibly entered the campus of Jamia, used batons and tear gas on the students, and more than 200 students were injured while around 100 were detained overnight in the police station. The police action was widely criticized and resulted students across the country protesting in solidarity.

The protests resulted in thousands of arrests and 27 deaths as of 27 December 2019. Two 17-year-old minors were among those reported to have been killed due to police firing during a live ammunition on protesters in Assam.On 19 December, the police issued a complete ban on protests in several parts of India. As a result of defying the ban, thousands of protesters were detained.

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