Organisations to stage hunger-strike in Silchar on Friday against Citizenship Bill

(Note : The above featured image is representational)

Different organisations including the Assam Indigenous People’s Protection Committee, Manipuri Youths Front Assam, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti and Muslim Development Council among others will stage a hunger-strike at Madhurapul, Rongpur in Silchar on Friday against the Centre’s move to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

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

Speaking to Barak Bulletin on Thursday, Seram Herajit Singh, general secretary of the Assam Indigenous People’s Protection Committee, said the bill, if passed, will be a threat to the existence of indigenous communities of Assam and that can never be accepted, he said.

“The hunger-strike will be from 10am to 4pm. Several other organisations and groups like Assam Manipuri Muslim Youths’ Front, Indigenous Students’ and Youths’ Forum and Namasudra Parishad have extended their co-operation regarding the agitation, he said.

He asked what would be the use of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) if the bill was passed. “Why is the NRC process being done then?” he questioned. He stressed that the bill should not be implemented or else the existence of the indigenous people of the state would be jeopardised.

“We want to make it clear to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that we are not going to remain silent till our demand is fulfilled,” he said and threatened of intensifying protests if the bill is not scrapped.

Sharing his reaction over the matter, Basudeb Sharma, president of the All Assam Bengali Hindu Association, said some “so-called” organisations had been raising voices against the bill, but these would not be effective at all, he said.

He claimed that the bill, which is likely to be placed in Parliament on January 7, would definitely be implemented. “Passing of the bill is a matter of time,” he said. He also suspected that a section of evil elements had been conspiring to cause a divide between different communities and create unrest in the state using the sensitive issue.

Rupam Nandi Purkayastha, advisor to the All Cachar Karimganj Hailakandi Students’ Association, said the government should provide security to the persecuted migrants and the bill should be passed.

“Those opposing the bill have perhaps not much knowledge what the bill is all about. Probably, they are unaware that the government had promised to give security to the people who came to this country because of religious persecution,” he said.