Massive protest across North-east as Amit Shah tables CAB in Parliament

Guwahati witnessed protests across the city on Monday as the AACSU and several other organizations voiced against the Citizenship Amendment Bill and called a 12-hour shutdown. Though the impact of the shutdown was very negligible in Guwahati, cities of upper Assam witnessed a total shutdown including Jorhat, Golaghat, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, parts of Barak Valley and BTAD.

The All Assam Students' Union burnt copies of the bill and hanged effigies of Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal,  Minister Atul Bora, AGPs working President as well as Minister Keshab Mahanta on an electric post, after dragging them through the street that led to the Raj Bhawan and the Chief Minister's residence. It was tragic for many as they witnessed the effigies particularly of Chief Minister Sonowal, Atul Bora and Keshab Mahanta being dragged out and kicked by the protesters from the office of AASU, the organisation, once led by all three at different intervals. 

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Professor, Academicians join protests

Earlier in the morning, CAB protesters led by AACSU, burnt tyres at prominent places of the city like Ganeshguri, Adabari, Chandmari, Khanapara and also blocked the National Highway near ISBT in Lokhra. The students of Gauhati University staged a massive demonstration outside the main entrance of the university. The Employees Union of Gauhati University too extended their support to the students. Several professors and academicians joined the protest and expressed solidarity to the anti CAB movement. 

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Protest demonstrations were also witnessed in other parts of the region. In Agartala, anti-CAB activists blocked the main road and raised slogans against the Center and CAB. Demonstrations disturbed vehicular movement in the city, even though protesters ensured that emergency services like ambulance and fire can run smoothly. Similarly in Manipur, sit-in demonstrations were held in several places. Led by women, the sit-in demonstrations were a blow to Center as Union Home Minister brought ILP provision for Manipur to exclude it from the purview of the contentious bill. However, the protesting organizations of Manipur have made it clear that the introduction of ILP will not halt the protests. 

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Soon after Union Home Minister Amit Shah tabled the Bill in Lok Sabha, Speaking to Republic Media Network, NESO Adviser and also the Chief Adviser of All Assam Students' Union, Dr Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharya said that this bill will not be accepted in any form. He made it clear that the debate is not 'Hindu vs Muslims' or 'Assamese vs Bengalis', but it is a fight to make India and Northeast in particular free of foreigners, be it of any caste, creed or community. "Save Assam today to save India tomorrow," said Bhattacharya. In the evening as the debate over the bill continued in the Lower House, torch vigils were taken out in different parts of Assam. It may be mentioned that even as political parties are giving various colours to the bill, the people of the region, in Northeast have made it very clear that the fight is against all foreigners and it is a fight above religion to save the country.

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