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Pro-citizenship bill meet under scanner

The Citizen Right Protection Forum wants to mobilise public opinion for citizenship of Hindu Bengalis in Assam

A Staff Reporter Guwahati Published 15.10.18, 06:18 PM
Members of Citizen Right Protection Forum in Guwahati on Monday

Members of Citizen Right Protection Forum in Guwahati on Monday Picture by UB Photos

Various organisations and individuals in Assam have opposed a proposed meeting of 26 Bengali organisations here next month in support of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

The Citizen Right Protection Forum, Assam will organise the meeting on November 17 at the Veterinary College playground in Khanapara here to mobilise public opinion on granting citizenship to Hindu Bengalis living in Assam.

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The forum, which says that no Hindu Bangladeshi has entered Assam after 1971, supports the bill which is opposed by various organisations in the Brahmaputra Valley.

The Oikya Sena Asom, a city-based organisation, opposed the bill. “We will foil the meeting at any cost. The government will be responsible for any untoward incident during the meeting,” chief spokesperson for the organisation Kamal Kumar told the media on Monday.

The Ahom Jatiya Ganamanch has also opposed the November 17 meeting and requested the government not to allow it.

Ulfa leaders Jiten Dutta and Prabal Neog have opposed the meeting, saying it an “attempt to nullify the sacrifices of 855 martyrs of the state”. They appealed to people on social media to protest against the meeting.

At a news conference here on Monday, the forum said although 1971 has been accepted as the cut-off year for detection and deportation of foreigners, it has not been implemented in the case of the Hindu Bengalis.

“They are tortured by being branded as ‘D (doubtful) voters’ and are dragged to the foreigners tribunals thereafter,” convener of the organisation Suren Sarkar said.

The forum expressed dissatisfaction over deletion of five documents from among 14 for the claim and objection process of update of the NRC.

In a meeting at Ambari the AGP on Monday decided to organise a protest against the bill here on October 23.

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