ITANAGAR, Dec 22 - Slogans like �We Oppose CAA�, �We Don�t Want CAA�, �Jai Ai Asom�, etc, rent the air as a large number of people of the Assamese community residing in the Arunachal capital and its vicinity staged a dharna at the IG Park tennis court here in protest against the amended Citizenship Act.
The sit-in protest, organised under the banner of Assamese Society Capital Complex, saw participation of people from the twin capital cities of Itanagar and Naharlagun, and adjoining areas like Nirjuli and Doimukh.
�The Assamese people residing in Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Doimukh have converged here to protest against the CAA. We do not want CAA. It is not in favour of Assam, North East and the entire country. Our only demand is that it should be scrapped immediately,� stated Rahul Dutta, a member of the organising committee.
�We want the Centre to understand our problems, our sentiments, and take back the new citizenship law,� he said.
The Society said that the dharna was held with the aim to secure the basic values of the Constitution and to safeguard the rights of indigenous people of Assam and the North East. �This platform is not a voice of any political or religious group. Our motive is to vehemently oppose the CAA and demand its repeal which is detrimental to the indigenous society,� Budhin Dutta, one of the protester, said.
Issac Debbarma of Tripura said, �I am a minority in my State. The indigenous people of Tripura were the first to give refuge to the Bengali Hindus persecuted in Bangladesh on grounds of moral consciousness, and now look what has happened to us.�
�The people of Tripura have personally experienced the consequences of the influx of migrants, and if the rest of the Northeastern States do not stand up against the CAA, they are heading for a rude awakening in the future,� he cautioned.
Earlier, the gathering paid respects to those killed during the anti-CAA protests in Assam, while reaffirming to stand ground in the fight against the CAA.
Sit-in protest in Dimapur: Dimapur Assamese Samaj conducted a sit-in protest and performed naam kirtan, voicing their strong resentment and opposition to the CAA at the Dimapur Namghar campus at 11am today.
The protesters also urged the Government to safeguard the rights of the people of Assam.
