Protest against citizenship bill in Lakhipur; effigies of Modi, Sonowal burnt

The Ereipak Enat Chanura Loinsilon (EECHAL), a Manipuri Women’s organisation, staged a protest in front of Lakhipur SDO office in Cachar district on Thursday opposing the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

The bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha in July, 2016, aims to grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians, who fled religious persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan and entered India before December 31, 2014.

The protesters which included EECHAL president Molina Yumnam, secretary Nilima Khangjrakpam and Manipuri Youths Front Assam president Seram Herajit Singha among others burnt the effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Silchar MP Sushmita Dev.

Speaking about the issue, EECHAL members said the BJP government, by pushing for the bill, is trying to compromise the rights of the indigenous people of the state. “The bill, if passed, will hamper the rights of the indigenous people of the state,” the protesters said.

A public meeting was also held on the day at Kamranga in Cachar district against the bill. The meeting was attended by Seram Herajit, Tomiz Uddin, Okram Lakhikanta and a few others.

Meanwhile, there have been protests in different parts of Assam and the Northeast, especially after the bill was passed by the Lok Sabha earlier this month. In Barak Valley, however, there is a strong support for the bill with bulk of the organisations demanding that the bill be implemented.