Assam Students’ Forum, an umbrella body of students in Assam, on Wednesday said it would move the United Nations against the alleged excesses by security personnel during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

“Students were protesting peacefully and democratically in the city but the security personnel used tear gas, baton charge and rubber bullets unlawfully and brutally. We have registered complaints with and submitted photographs and video footages of police excesses to the Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC). We will also submitted it to the United Nations,” the forum’s president Hirakjyoti Bora told The Telegraph.

Bora said they were communicating with 60 universities in the country to unitedly fight against CAA as well as universities across the world.

The AHRC, taking suo motu cognizance on the basis of media reports, has ordered the state government to constitute a high-level probe into the death of five persons and injuries to at least 27 during anti-CAA protests in the state.

Cotton University students raise slogans against the CAA in Guwahati. Picture by UB Photos

Students of Gauhati University, Tezpur University, Dibrugarh University and Cotton University staged a sit-in in front of Cotton University here on Wednesday, demanding scrapping of CAA, and pledged to continue their fight against the “divisive” law.

“If the government thinks it can suppress students’ voices and movement by threats, it is wrong. We will continue to protest till CAA is withdrawn,” a student said.

Dibrugarh University general secretary Rahul Chetry said the agitation should not get divided. He said the protests have been staged to wake up the government which is in “deep slumber” and fails to feel the sentiments of the people of Assam.

“Our slogan is to defend the Constitution. The government has forgotten what is written in the Constitution, the Assam Accord and the history of Assam. It has forgotten the meaning of secularism, equality and fundamental rights. It is just following RSS books,” he alleged.

Tezpur University general secretary Abhishek Bora said the students staged a protest instead of going for picnics and parties on the first day of the year “because we want to convey the message that students will not accept CAA”.

Cotton University general secretary Rahul Bordoloi said, “The government wants to suppress people’s voices by offering sops. It is a jumla. These are rightful entitlement of people which should have been given earlier. But the people should not stop raising their voices against CAA.”

Gauhati University general secretary Moon Talukdar said, “Assam politicians who supported CAA should be boycotted. Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma should not be allowed to attend the Asam Sahitya Sabha session and AGP minister Atul Bora the Srimanta Shankar Sangha Adhibeshan.” The students pledged to stage peaceful and democratic agitation and defend the Constitution.