Black flags greeted Assam BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass when he went to meet Chabua MLA Binod Hazarika in Dibrugarh district of Upper Assam on Thursday.
Anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protesters chased Dass’s convoy, waved black flags at him for supporting CAA and raised slogans against the BJP.
Shops and business establishment downed shutters in Chabua, the native place of chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, when they got news that Dass and other MLAs were visiting Chabua.
The protesters also waved black flags at the venue where the BJP had organised a meeting near Hazarika’s house. While the protesters chanted “Scrap CAA or arrest us”, BJP supporters raised their voice in support of CAA. Security personnel at the venue brought the situation under control.
Dass told reporters at the venue, “We have come here to met Chabua MLA Binod Hazarika because his house was burnt down (on December 12) by protesters during the anti-CAA movement. The protesters wanted to kill him but did not succeed. It is our moral duty to meet our colleague whose house has been damaged.”
On reports that many BJP members of zilla parishads, panchayats and gaon panchayats have resigned from the party in protest against CAA, Dass said, “I have not got any written resignation from any member. If they have resigned from party posts in Chabua, they should inform me in writing but no such case has come up yet.”
Tinsukia MLA Sanjoy Kishan, Moran MLA Chakradhar Gogoi and Khumtai MLA Mrinal Saikia were present at the meeting.
On Wednesday, Moran MLA Chakradhar Gogoi was stopped by protesters at Moran Tiloi Nagar in Dibrugarh district while Mahmora MLA Jogen Mohan faced the wrath of the people at Kachumari in Sivasagar district in Upper Assam. The protesters formed a wall in front of Gogoi’s vehicle and would not let him pass. They raised slogans against the BJP government and sought answers over CAA. Both the MLAs were confronted while heading to BJP functions to pay tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 95th birth anniversary.
Earlier this month, Union minister Rameswar Teli was confronted by anti-CAA protesters at Naharkatia in Dibrugarh district.
The anti-CAA protests took a violent turn in Dibrugarh, especially in Chabua, after the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed in Parliament on December 11. During the protests that followed, Hazarika’s house was burnt down and several government installations, such as the post office, United Bank of India branch, circle office, zilla parishad chairman’s office, town committee office and several gaon panchayat offices were vandalised and burnt down in Chabua.
Dibrugarh superintendent of police Sreejith Tiraviam said, “We have so far arrested 59 people in Dibrugarh for vandalism on the basis of 79 cases registered by police.”
Musical protest
The artistes’ community protested against CAA by singing various songs in front of Sahid Bedi at New Market in Hojai on Thursday. People from all walks of life participated in the protest.
In Goalpara, hundreds of people, including senior citizens, on Thursday staged a sit-in against CAA in front of the deputy commissioner’s office. The protesters also demanded release of those arrested during the agitation. A similar protest was held at Kharmuja in West Goalpara, called by Citu, where midday meal and anganwadi workers participated.
Additional reporting by Nikhil Kumar Mundra in Hojai and Sofikul Ahmed in Goalpara
