GUWAHATI, Dec 27 - Extending its full support to the Statewide movement against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 (CAA), the Assam Retired College Teachers� Association today staged a three-hour sit-in demonstration at the Latasil playground here, which was supported by the All Assam Students� Union (AASU).
Asserting that the anti-CAA movement cannot be suppressed with force or intimidation, the college teachers, other academicians and leading citizens gathered on the occasion asserted that the democratic protests against the �unconstitutional� Act would gain more strength in the days to come as more and more people would realise its threat to the very existence of the indigenous population of the State.
�Teachers who shape the future of their students won�t lag behind when a crisis looms large on the future of the State. A significant number of teachers from government and non-government institutions, including the college teachers are coming out spontaneously to join the anti-CAA stir in different corners of the State. Through a sit-in strike staged at Latasil, we assert that the retired college teachers would extend support to all democratic protest activities against CAA,� said Dinamani Bhagawati, general secretary of the association.
�At a time when the public outrage against the contentious legislation is gaining momentum, we have noticed that the State government has come up with a number of announcements for artistes, students and others. A government has the responsibility to look after the welfare of the people it serves. However, such announcements during the crucial time of anti-CAA stir sound dubious,� he further mentioned.
Dr Dayananda Pathak, Professor Ramani Barman, Mridula Das and many other leading academicians addressed the gathering at Latasil. A number of academicians gathered on the occasion also criticised the Assam College Teachers� Association (ACTA) for not taking any initiative to voice their protest against the controversial legislation.
�Though a number of college teachers have come out on their own to oppose the Act, the kind of support they expected from the ACTA is still missing,� a college teacher mentioned.
�Attempts are on to weaken the movement by dividing the people of Assam. Six scheduled areas and the ILP areas are being exempted from the ambit of CAA. If the Act is bad for such protected areas, how can it be beneficial for the people of other parts of Assam,� said Dr Balendra Kumar Das, vice president of the association.
Addressing the gathering, AASU chief adviser Dr Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharyya said that teachers and the people of Assam are the guiding light for the student body.
�AASU has no high command. We follow our academicians and work as per the wishes of the people of Assam. The sit-in protest by the retired college teachers is the expression of their resentment against the legislation which the Union government is trying to impose on us,� he mentioned. AASU president Dipanka Kumar Nath and general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi also addressed the gathering.
