AASU launches protests against CAA implementation in Assam
Dispur: The All Assam Students Union (AASU) has declared its unwavering opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and has initiated protests against its implementation in Assam.
According to Kashmir Media Service, joined by 11 other parties and organizations, the AASU has launched protests across various parts of Assam, asserting their refusal to accept the controversial act. They have vowed to continue organizing demonstrations both within Assam and throughout India.
In Gauhati University, a significant number of students participated in protests against the CAA, prompting heavy deployment of police personnel on campus. The atmosphere turned tense as students rejected the act’s imposition.
Jintu Das, president of the PGSU at the university, led the protest, as reported by Assami media.
Additionally, the AASU has petitioned the Indian Supreme Court to halt the implementation of the CAA. They argue that the act legitimizes illegal migration and threatens indigenous traditions, thereby violating constitutional provisions.
In Lakhimpur and Dibrugarh, effigies of Indian Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with copies of the act, were publicly burned in protest.
Assam has also witnessed the emergence of a united opposition bloc comprising 16 parties, known as the United Opposition Forum of Assam (UOFA). This coalition, which includes prominent parties like the Congress, Raijor Dal, and Asom Jatiya Parishad, strongly opposes the CAA and has called for a statewide strike, citing its unconstitutional nature and its contradiction of the Assam Accord of 1985.
The exclusion of 19,06,657 people from the final draft of the National Registry of Citizens (NRC) released in 2019 has added fuel to the protests. The NRC process, along with citizenship issues, has resulted in the loss of lives, with 31 fatalities reported in Assam’s detention camps.
