The voice of protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) became shriller on Sunday with the presence of around 40,000 people at Chapakhowa playground in Sadiya, the land of music maestro Bhupen Hazarika in Tinsukia district of Upper Assam.
The Sadiya unit of the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) organised the rally with support of 32 other organisations and people across the district. The AJYCP and the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) are playing a key role in the anti-CAA protests.
Singer Mahendra Hazarika and Bipin Chowdang started the programme. They sang Manuhe manuhar vave, Joi Aai Axom and several other protest songs.
Braving the rain which continued throughout the day, people who came from across Tinsukia and other Upper Assam districts besides those belonging to the Assamese community in eastern Arunachal Pradesh stay put at the rally venue till evening.
“We are here for our language, culture, traditions and land. The anti-CAA protest is a battle of survival of Asomiya jati, bhakha, kala, kristi and so on,” Vanlata Deka, a participant in the rally, told this correspondent.
People shouted anti-CAA slogans holding placards and banners. They chanted “Joi Aai Axom (glory to mother)” and “CAA batil korok (scrap the CAA)” throughout the rally.
Addressing them, AJYCP’s central unit president Rana Pratap Braua said: “We will do as the people of the state advise us. The unconstitutional and anti-Assam CAA will never be accepted and our movement will continue till it is scrapped. The people are against the CAA and the government’s statements, which are not based on facts, are of no use.”
All Tai Ahom Students’ Union president Litul Buragohain, said: “The CAA violates the Assam Accord.” All Assam Gorkha Students’ Union vice-president Sankar Lama said: “The entire Gorkha community of Assam is standing by Assam and its people against the CAA.”
All Moran Students’ Union assistant general secretary Pratap Moran, AASU’s central executive member Binay Dubey, Nagrik Manch leader Tonkeswar Barua and several others addressed the rally.
The whole programme was anchored by AJYCP’s regional unit president Joy Kant Singh and Pranav Jyoti Bura Gohain.
Tributes were paid to the martyrs by president of the AJYCP’s Tinsukia district unit Surojit Moran. He said: “The movement will continue till the CAA, which is unconstitutional and violates the Assam Accord, is scrapped. People do not want it to be enforced in Assam.” Six persecuted communities from three neighbouring countries who had entered India before December 31, 2014 will get Indian citizenship under CAA.
