AASU Lakhimpur District Unit Protests Government's Decision on Foreigners Tribunal Referrals Under CAA

Lakhimpur: As per the instruction of the central committee, the Lakhimpur district unit of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) initiated a protest on July 16, condemning the government’s decision to prevent referring cases of foreigners who came to Assam before December 31 in 2014 to the Foreigners Tribunal under the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

The Government of Assam, through a notification, has asked the state police to stop forwarding the cases of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians-who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan before December 31, 2014, and are now seeking Indian citizenship-to the foreigners’ tribunal in the state. The letter, signed by Secretary to the Government of Assam (Home and Political Departments) Partha Pratim Majumdar and sent to special director general of police (Border) in Assam Harmeet Singh, informed the police that they may maintain a separate register for such cases and persons if needed.

Strongly opposing the notification, the AASU activists in Lakhimpur took to the streets, expressing their vehement resentment against it. The protesters demanded the government to withdraw the notification and halt the freshly decided process concerning foreigners in the state. In this connection, the AASU activists burned a copy of the government notification concerning North Lakhimpur town.

During the course of the demonstration, they shouted a number of slogans, like “BJP Go Back,” “We never accept CAA,” “Scrap CAA,” etc. The AASU leaders reiterated that the implementation of the contentious Act would destroy the Assamese community and its language, arts, and culture. The protesters added that the government has forcibly imposed CAA by depriving the people of their freedom without thinking about the interests of the indigenous people of Assam. Lakhimpur district AASU president and general secretary, executive president Sharat Barua, North Lakhimpur regional unit general secretary Abhijit Buragohain, and subdivisional unit general secretary Litu Gogoi, along with a number of members from various regional units of organizations under Lakhimpur district, took part in the protest.

 Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, said on Monday, that only eight people had applied for citizenship under the CAA in the state after four months of the rules being notified. He also pointed out how the leaders of the anti-CAA organization had tried to scare people, saying that up to 50 lakh illegal immigrants could get citizenship under the Act. In this context, he also mentioned the five people who made supreme sacrifices during the anti-CAA agitation.

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