CAB Row: Indigenous Students Stage Road Blockade in Agartala

Agartala, December 10, 2019:

Amid the Northeast Students' Organization (NESO) called bandh, many students spilled out onto the streets of Agartala to raise their collective voices against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB).

A good number of indigenous students blocked the road near Radha Nagar motor stand, which connects civil secretariat with Agartala city, often used by Ministers and MLAs. The students shouted impassioned slogans against CAB and Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister.

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Reaching the Radha Nagar area, the local police tried to convince the students to call off the strike, but to no avail. Exasperated, the police arrested the indigenous youths.

It may be mentioned here that the indigenous parties and indigenous civil society leaders of Tripura have formed a platform named ‘Joint Movement against Citizenship Amendment Bill’ (JMACAB). This forum gas called for an indefinite strike since Monday.

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JMACAB leader Animesh Debbarma has said that the government should scrap the CAB. "Government cannot make Tripura a dumping ground", he said.

Meanwhile, the Tripura Education Department has cancelled the state-level examination which were scheduled to be held today. NFR also cancelled six trains and four partially cancelled due to indefinite period of strike.

The protests against the Citizenship Bill have been intensified since it was passed in the Lok Sabha at midnight after a 12-hours-long debate.

On the other hand the North East Frontier Railway also cancelled six trains in Tripura, while four trains partially cancelled.

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