GUWAHATI, Dec 18 - Supreme Court�s notice to the Centre examining the validity of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) was enthusiastically hailed by thousands of protesters gathered at the Latasil playground here today on the third and final day of the gana satyagraha launched by the All Assam Students� Union (AASU) against the CAA.
Both the AASU leadership and the common people agitating against the controversial legislation reaffirmed their faith in Indian judiciary and hoped that the indigenous communities of Assam and the Northeast would get justice despite the Centre�s adamancy to implement the �unconstitutional� law.
The number of participants swelled manifolds today with the movement joined by thousands of State government employees who announced a cease-work today in protest against the Act.
Though the protesters were taken into custody inside Dighalipukhuri Park, the crowd spilled on to the road outside the park because of large-scale participation.
Apprising the gathering at Latasil playground about the court order, AASU chief advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya said, �On behalf of the AASU, our advocates argued against the Act. AASU president Dipanka Kumar Nath is in Delhi representing us in the legal battle whereas here, we will pace up the democratic movement simultaneously.�
The NESO, AJYCP and a number of other organisations from Assam and the Northeast have upped the ante on the legal front and �we hope that we will get a stay (on the operation of the Act) after the next hearing (in the Supreme Court) on January 22,� he added.
The AASU chief advisor also thanked the Sadou Asom Karmachari Parishad and Assam Secretariat Services Association for bringing the government machinery to a grinding halt to register their protest.
�Against the government�s intent to demean the movement as agitation by a �section� of people, the Marwari organisations, Hindustani Samaj, Bhojpuri organisations and several Sikh bodies have spontaneously joined the protest with large groups. This proves the erosion of faith in the BJP among all segments of the masses,� he said, addressing the protesters who were detained inside the Dighalipukhuri Park.
The AASU leaders also warned against the State government�s move to create a communal divide among the people on the basis of religion and community.
�First they tried to divide the Northeast by excluding the Sixth Schedule areas and ILP-covered areas from the Act�s purview and now, their clear intention to create communal tension among the people is evident. We must keep in mind that our movement is against any religion or community but against the illegal migrants who entered Assam after the cut-off date prescribed by the Assam Accord,� AASU general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi mentioned.
NEXT PROTEST PLAN
Concluding their three-day gana satyagraha in Guwahati and other parts of the State, the AASU has announced their next series of movement that includes a dedicated day for women�s sit-in demonstrations throughout the State on December 21.
�As in the Assam movement, women have come out in their hordes against the CAA. It is time we honoured their courage and power through a special day for the all-women sit-in protest. In Guwahati, this protest would be organised at the Latasil playground from 11 am to 2 pm. Similar protests would be held in every part of the State on the same day,� AASU leader Samujjal Bhattacharya said.
On December 23, a citizens sit-in protest will be held across the State. Besides, the public meetings against the Act in all parts of the State, especially rural and suburban Assam, will continue on a regular basis so that the people in every nook and cranny in the State understand the adverse impact of the legislation.
The AASU and its 30 allied organisations have also extended their support to the artistes protest at Chandmari here tomorrow. All the protest activities will be joined by SAKP and AJYCP members as well.
