Delhi Activists, En Route to Detention Camp in Goalpara, Halted at Srirampur Gate by Police

Gossaigaon, February 28, 2020:

Assam Police personnel on February 28 blocked a party from Delhi that had come to visit the detention camp in Assam at the Assam-West Bengal border near Kokrajhar district.

The Yatrarthis were prohibited from entering the State on orders of the district Magistrate, Kokrajhar. As per the order, the Magistrate has "restricted" the entry of the activists into Assam. Upon receipt of the order, the activists, who were travelling by bus (bearing registration number UP-17AT 1036) were halted by a team of security personnel, who did not let them cross the border, leaving them stranded at the Srirampur Gate.

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Later, the 'Yatra' activists launched into song, the immortal classic 'Na Hindu Banega Na Musalman', to spread a message of communal harmony, as they waited in the sun, waiting to be let into Assam. "If they do not let us go, we will have no option but to return back...what to do", said Magsaysay awardee Sandeep Pandey, who had also come to witness the spectacle of a detention camp.

The group, consisting of members of the Socialist Party India, Khudai Khidmatgaar, Justice Forum Assam, National Alliance of People's Movement, Jamia Coordination Committee among others, accused that the police had not let them cross the border.

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This act of the Assam Police met has with derision by social media, that keeps a watchful eye over everything that goes on. A tweet sent out from the official account of the Jamia Coordination Committee reads, "This is How a Peace Yatra in Assam is welcomed. Delhi to Detention Yatra is reaching Assam Border and this is the Number of Police Force welcoming them. Yes, this is New India, where u need permission to enter Assam."

It may be mentioned here that the protest is being organized in the aftermath of the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, questions over which loom heavy over the BJP-led administration. The Act that seeks to fasttrack "citizenship" for non-Muslim communities from neighboring countries has been severely condemned for its exclusionary nature.

Later, Union Minister Amit Shah's assertion that a National Register of Citizens (NRC) would be implement in the Assam format raised further questions over the current administration's motives. The alleged violation of "secularism" has led to violent protests across the length and breadth of the country, with violent riots ravaging certain parts.

National capital Delhi has bore the brunt of the damage ushered in by the 'CAA', with the student community launching protests and a sit-in organized by women at Shaheen Bagh gaining scrutiny. Later, around US President Donald Trump's visit, a pro-CAA rally by BJP leader Kapil Mishra led to unlawful riots and stone pelting and by the end of it all, over 30 had succumbed to injuries.

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