Assam: Over 100 detained as Left groups hold ‘Jail Bharo’ protest in Dhubri

Members of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and Students' Federation of India (SFI) staged a ‘Jail Bharo’ protest in Dhubri on August 10 against what they described as the “anti-worker and anti-farmer” policies of the BJP-led Centre.

The protest was organised as part of a nationwide programme launched by the Left-affiliated organisations to mobilise public opinion against government policies they alleged were adversely affecting workers, farmers, agricultural labourers and other sections of society.

The organisations said the programme was inspired by the spirit of the Quit India Movement of 1942 and called for an intensified struggle to protect the country's resources and the rights of working people from what they termed “corporate-driven policies”.

In a joint statement, they alleged that workers' rights and welfare measures, including pensions, medical benefits and wage-related provisions, were being curtailed. They also claimed that the closure of small and medium industries had resulted in job losses, while permanent employment was increasingly being replaced by contractual appointments and outsourcing.

The organisations further raised concerns over unemployment and alleged that growing corporate profits were accompanied by declining purchasing power and increasing economic hardship among working people.

On agriculture, the groups alleged that farmers were being displaced from agricultural land and that land was being made available to large corporate interests at low prices. They also criticised what they described as inadequate government support for landless farming families and agricultural labourers.

The organisations opposed eviction drives in various parts of Assam, including areas stretching from Parbatjhora to the Kaziranga landscape. They alleged that such operations were adversely affecting farmers and ordinary residents.

They also opposed the alleged eviction of members of the Tiwa community in the name of developing satellite cities, claiming that such measures would favour corporate interests at the expense of long-settled communities.

The groups alleged that people protesting against such policies were being arrested, describing it as an attack on democratic rights.

As part of Monday's programme, more than 100 protesters took out a rally from the Dhubri railway station premises. The procession proceeded along Station Road before police detained the protesters and took them to Dhubri Police Station.

The organisers appealed to workers, farmers, agricultural labourers and other sections of society to join the movement against what they described as exploitation, displacement and curbs on democratic rights.