Protesters in Assam devoted attention to keeping the movement peaceful as thousands from all walks of life defied curfew for the second day running and flocked to a 10-hour fast against the amended citizenship law.
On Friday, no untoward incident was reported in Assam, barring the burning of a vehicle in Dibrugarh, unlike on Thursday when at least two persons were killed.
Curfew remained in force in Guwahati but was partially eased in Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Golaghat, Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts.
At the fast called by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) on the Chandmari ground here, speaker after speaker asked the people of the state to prepare for a long struggle.
The movement has entered a crucial phase and it becomes important not to be led astray by “third-party” elements trying their best to derail the movement, several speakers said.
“The movement has to remain non-violent if it has to succeed and for this, we will have to be united and dogged in our determination,” AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharjya said.
He said the union would suspend the protest in the evening every day for a week to ensure that trouble-makers do not take advantage of the dark and try to discredit the protesters by indulging in violence.
Bhattacharjya added that the AASU has approached the Supreme Court on the amended law. “I would like to inform you that our legal fight at the Supreme Court has started in right earnest,” he said.
The fast that started at 6am drew a wide cross-section participants – the elderly on wheelchairs, school students, celebrities and members from an employees’ union.
Many of the younger lot who had not seen the Assam Agitation said they were inspired and willing to provide support to the movement.
Actor Zubeen Garg said the movement has to be peaceful and democratic. “We should remain alert and not back down. This struggle is not against any community or religion,” he said.
AASU general secretary Lurin Jyoti Gogoi said the movement had shown the people of the country that playing with the self- respect of the Assamese people was like playing with fire.
“We cannot be trifled with. We will not accept the destructive CAB (as the Citizenship Amendment Act was known when it was a bill) in any manner. No lathicharge or firing can quell our movement. (Narendra) Modi and (Amit) Shah are trying to turn Assam into another Kashmir, another Tripura but we will not allow it.”
“We have shown the people of the country the strength of our people,” he said. “This Assam does not belong only to Sarbananda Sonowal (chief minister), this Assam belongs to the people of the state. The bill is trying to destroy the Constitution.”
Actor Utpal Das made an impassioned appeal to the protesters not to allow anybody to hijack the movement through violence.
“The new generation has proved that it is not superficial. Young people are concerned with their Motherland and fighting for it. I am teaching my three-year-old daughter to say ‘Joi Aai Axom’ at a time she can barely say ‘Aai’. I have seen dead bodies of minors. We are losing our wealth and I don’t want this to continue,” Das said.
“We are getting a lot of support from other student organisations from the Northeast and we must be united. People from other parts of the Northeast are finding to difficult to come to Assam and we must help them out,” another leader said.
Former Cotton College professor Deven Dutta said the bill was against the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, and democracy was being killed in the country. “The law is made for the people and the people have the right to change the law,” he said.
Additional reporting by Ali Fauz Hassan
