Amid statewide protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Assam, a citizens’ group comprising, among others, a former governor, cultural personalities and academicians on Monday appealed to people to wait for the Supreme Court’s verdict on the validity of CAA instead of protesting against it.
The Supreme Court has received over 50 petitions challenging the Act.
The group, in a public notice, said the Supreme Court had already started hearing on the validity of the CAA. “The matter is now sub judice. Instead of calling off the protests at this time, the announcement of the anti-CAA movement leaders that the protest is going to be protracted is shrouded in mystery,” said the statement.
Among those who made the appeal were former Meghalaya governor Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary, former Asam Sahitya Sabha president Kanak Sen Deka, former vice-chancellor of Gauhati University Nirmal Kumar Choudhury, Sangeet Natak Akademi winner Jatin Goswami, director Manju Bora, besides actors Pranjal Saikia, Manjula Barua and Purnima Pathak Saikia.
The group said in the past four decades agitations had caused much damage socio-economically and culturally. They appealed to the protesters to spare the students, teachers and government employees.
The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), which has been spearheading the anti-CAA movement along with 30 organisations, hit back at the citizens’ group and said their appeal cannot stop the movement.
“Organised and non-violent protests will continue against the CAA. Those who have made the appeal have failed to understand the sentiments of the people. Six persons, including a child, were shot dead during the protests. The group did not utter a single word about it,” AASU chief adviser Samujjal Bhattacharjya said.
The call from the citizens’ group to spare the students and the teachers has come at a time when students from various educational institutions are taking part in large numbers in anti-CAA protests. On Monday, thousands of students joined a four-hour statewide agitation called by AASU and 30 organisations.
On Monday, the Gauhati University Teachers’ Association (Guta) also announced a protest march and sit-in against the CAA on Tuesday afternoon on the university campus.
AASU said along with 30 organisations, it would organise statewide protests on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
The KMSS also vowed to continue their protest till the CAA is scrapped. The peasants’ rights group organised a sit-in on the outskirts of the city here demanding unconditional release of its leaders like Akhil Gogoi, Dhoijya Konwar and Bitu Sonowal and scrapping of the CAA. Police on Monday arrested two more leaders of the KMSS’s Bongaigaon district unit.
The KMSS also clarified that it had not called any Assam bandh on Friday.
The Sadou Asam Karmachari Parishad has declared December 31 a “black day” and appealed to government employees to attend work wearing black badges. It condemned vandalism during the anti-CAA protests and appealed to the people to take forward the protest in a peaceful and democratic way.
