‘Black Day’ called today in Assam in Citizenship (Amendment) Bill Protest

Guwahati, January 7, 2019:

A ‘black day’ has been called by thirty organizations over the BJP agenda to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. Black flags will be hoisted at various locations across the state by protesters to mark the occasion.

The call for protest has been sounded by the All Assam Students Union (AASU) as well as the North East Students Union (NESO). The Bill is expected to be passed in the Parliament on Tuesday, seeks to provide asylum to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christian refugees from neighbouring countries Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan and entered India before December 31, 2014.

Many organizations, such as the AASU, KMSS etc have come together to protest the Bill as they feel that the Bill is in violation of the Assam Accord of 1985 which states that all who entered the country after March 24, 1971 are foreigners. AASU president Deepika Nath has said that the day the JPC tables its report on the Bill in Parliament, copies of the Bill will be burnt across the state.

It is to be mentioned that the AASU and NESO have called an all-Northeast bandh on January 8. Mass protest marches are planned to be held in the state on January 23.