BARPETA, Oct 21 � Thousands of activists of the All Assam Students� Union (AASU) hit the streets here today, seeking immediate action to curb the activities of radical terror groups in the State and fulfilment of other demands. The AASU activists under the leadership of the All Barpeta District Students� Union assembled at the Barpeta Vidyapeeth playground this morning and proceeded to the office of the Deputy Commissioner in a huge procession.
Later, they handed over a memorandum to the district administration, which was addressed to the Prime Minister of India. The memorandum, signed by Krishna Kanta Das and Samudra Patgiri, expressed deep concern over the reported presence of Al-Qaeda and some other terrorist organisations in the State. They accused the State Government of treating the foreigners issue as vote bank politics. Politicians are also using this problem for personal gains, the AASU memorandum added.
The AASU leadership alleged that the provisions of the Assam Accord have not been implemented properly, which has encouraged the infiltration by migrants. The international border with Bangladesh has not been sealed in spite of repeated demands of the organisation. Besides, no framework has been prepared to provide Constitutional safeguards to the indigenous people of the State and the work on the update of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is also not at all satisfactory. They also alleged the negligence of the Government towards the resolution of the protracted inter-State border disputes in the region.
The memorandum stated that the economy of the State has been jeopardised due to recurring floods and continuous erosion by most of the rivers of the State. The governments in Dispur and Delhi have not undertaken any effective steps to check the floods and erosion.
The student body demanded of the Prime Minister to prevent the activities of terror groups. It also demanded the implementation of the Assam Accord within a limited timeframe, sealing of Indo-Bangla border, provision of Constitutional safeguards to the indigenous people of the State and update of the NRC.
The AASU activists also demanded that flood and erosion in the State should be declared a national problem, and that the destruction caused by natural calamities should be checked on a priority basis. Solutions to the inter-State border problems were also demanded by them.
The student body alleged that the attitude of the Central Government to the people of Assam was not at all acceptable. It requested the Prime Minister to take measures to build confidence among the people of the State.
Jorhat Correspondent adds: Taking out a rally in Jorhat town on Tuesday, the district unit of the All Assam Students� Union (AASU) demanded the Central Government�s action against terrorist organisations including the Al-Qaeda and other fundamentalist groups whose presence in the State has recently been detected by security agencies.
Thousands of students from various schools and colleges in the district displayed placards against illegal migration and terror networks while demanding adequate steps for provision of Constitutional safeguards for the indigenous people of the State.
�The Government must make us secure from the threats of the Al-Qaeda and other fundamentalist groups. The detection and deportation of illegal migrants are the need of the hour,� said AASU general secretary Tapan Gogoi, who joined the rally in the town.
As the presence of many suspected illegal migrants is alleged in the urban localities of Jorhat district, the district general secretary of the student organisation, Jul Khaund said that �the Government�s inaction poses a threat to the demography of the town as families of people of suspected nationality are living in slums which are less visited by the officials concerned.�
Besides demanding the prevention of terror activities, the student organisation urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take effective measures for the permanent solution to the decades-old problems faced by the people along the inter-State and international border areas.
As Majuli has witnessed massive erosion since the past several decades, the All Jorhat District Students� Union requested the Prime Minister to implement anti-erosion measures effectively in the river island.
�Neamatighat and its adjoining areas must be protected from erosion. We also demand the update of the NRC by the time of the Assembly election in 2016,� said Surjya Kumar Bhuyan, president of the All Jorhat District Students� Union.
All the demands of the student body have been sent to the Prime Minister through the Jorhat Deputy Commissioner on Tuesday.
