Thousands of protesters, including relatives of Assam Agitation martyrs, vowed on Saturday not to celebrate Rongali Bihu until the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is scrapped, while taking part in a 50km human chain on the Phillobari-Doomdooma-Jagun link road in Upper Assam’s Tinsukia district.

People, including women, held hands and shouted slogans to express solidarity and support to the movement against CAA.

“The sacrifices of 860 martyrs, after which the Assam Accord was signed, has been clearly violated by passing the CAA. We started our protest when the bill was passed by the Union cabinet and took the movement forward when it was passed in Parliament and the notification for its enforcement was issued. We will not rest till this anti-Assam and unconstitutional Act is withdrawn,” a relative of an Assam Agitation martyr from Digboi said.

The central point of the protest was the Phillobari Tiniali market under Gabharubheti gaon panchayat of Kakopathar block. All the shops were closed as people started forming the human chain since morning. The protesters also took an oath to protect the Constitution.

All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) Phillobari unit secretary Ashok Borsaikia said, “Thousands of people linked hands on both sides of the roads to protest against the controversial CAA and they decided not to celebrate Rongali Bihu as the festival seems colourless and the zeal and zest has gone owing to worry over the ill-effects of the Act. The protest was supported by student organisations, civil rights activists and people of Margherita and Doomdooma subdivisions.”

The organisers claimed that such a massive human chain was previously seen only during the Assam Agitation. In response to AASU’s call, the All Moran Students’ Union, Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad, All Tea Tribes Students’ Association, All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam and 27 Muslim organisations participated in the protest.

“We want to save the Constitution, democracy, our language, culture, tradition, land, resources, customs and conventions. The government should not change the secular fabric of our nation by enforcing the new Act,” said Nirab Jyoti Dutta, president of AASU’s Phillobari unit.

Earlier, families of Assam Agitation martyrs had returned the mementos gifted to them by the state government while the kin of those killed by rebels in Phillobari have been protesting against CAA, seeking security, job and education.