The high-powered committee on implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord met here on Friday and discussed finalising its report based on the suggestions it has received from various organisations and individuals over the past few months.

The committee’s chairman, Justice (retd) Biplab Kumar Sarma, had earlier told reporters that the meeting was scheduled to incorporate modules that might seem small but were important into the report.

The around four-hour meeting was held at the Assam Administrative Staff College.

All Assam Students’ Union chief adviser Samujjal Bhattacharjya told The Telegraph, “During the meeting, the committee delegates who had met Union home minister Amit Shah a few days ago informed us about the proceedings of that meeting. Today’s meeting discussed the preparation of a strong report to give constitutional safeguards to the indigenous people based on suggestions from the people. Several issues were discussed and more discussions will take place soon.”

Four of the 14 members of the committee, including Sarma, had met Shah on Monday to take the Centre’s suggestion on implementation of Clause 6. AASU, a signatory to the Assam Accord, had skipped the meeting in protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.

Bhattacharjya attended Friday’s meeting but the three other AASU representatives in the committee — president Dipanka Nath, general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi and member Mrinal Miri — did not. Hours before the meeting, AASU leaders had said at a Xilpi Diwas gathering in Darrang district in central Assam that they would attend the meeting but warned the Centre not to bargain on constitutional safeguards.

“They (the Centre) say they will give constitutional safeguards. We must have safeguards as we have already borne the burden of those immigrants who entered the state between 1951 and 1971. But it will not be acceptable in lieu of CAA. Do not bargain on the constitutional safeguards,” Bhattacharjya had said in his speech.

Clause 6 promises constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social and linguistic identity and heritage of the “Assamese” people.