Citizenship of Persecuted: 30 Assam groups go for strike

Amid growing protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, at least 30 indigenous groups, including the North East Students' Organisation (NESO), have called an 11 hour-long strike across Assam tomorrow.

The protest is against the government's move to pass the parliamentary bill that promises Indian citizenship to “persecuted" religious minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The fresh protest will come two days after indigenous outfits held rallies in the majority Assamese-speaking areas of Assam on Saturday protesting the bill, where, according to reports, effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi were burned.

The bill seeks to give Indian citizenship to non-Muslims who had migrated to India from the three countries until December 31, 2014, allegedly due to religious persecution.

Most indigenous groups in North Eastern India believe that the bill, if passed, would reduce them to minorities.

“This bill is unacceptable, and the call for shutdown is to let the central government know that they cannot come out with a law that threatens the existence of the Assamese and other indigenous people in the North East,” said Dipankar Kumar Nath, president of All Assam Students' Union.

Earlier on December 31, the BJP-dominated joint parliamentary committee on the bill rejected all amendments to its draft that were suggested by the opposition congress and other parties.

The committee is expected to table its recommendations for the bill in parliament tomorrow.

On Saturday, the Citizens' Forum against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill launched a campaign to mobilise support against the bill's passage.

Its members appealed to editors of all dailies in Assam to leave their editorial columns blank and asked television channels to run the upper or lower ticker black tomorrow to protest against the bill.

Harekrishna Deka, the forum's spokesperson and Assam's former director general of police, said today would be observed as “dhikkar diwas” (condemnation day) across the state.

Addressing a rally in Silchar of Assam's Barak Valley region, which has a majority Bangla-speaking population, Modi said his government would try its best to have the proposed law passed in the winter session of parliament, which is due to end on January 8.