Guwahati: Cotton University students protest against Citizenship Amendment Bill

After Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019  was passed in the Lok Sabha, with 311 votes in favour of the bill and 80 against it, the students of the Cotton University in Guwahati carried out a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 and extended solidarity to the Assam bandh called for December 10 by the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and 30 other organisations.

"We are fighting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 which was passed by Lok Sabha yesterday. We are opposing the bill as it is unconstitutional, communal and against the interest of the indigenous people of Assam and North East India. It will violate the Assam accord. So, today AASU along with 30 organisations has called for Assam bandh and we are supporting this bandh," a Cotton University student stated while talking to a news agency.

"The main reason for opposing the bill is that it is unconstitutional. It is against the secular fabric of the nation. They are bringing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill which is based on religion which will divide the society," another student of the University added.

Along with Guwahati, a shutdown has also been called against the bill in Imphal and Manipur.  According to the sources, the bill will be produced in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. 

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Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019

Lok Sabha on Monday midnight passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 with 311 votes in favor and 80 against the Bill. Opposition leaders Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Saugata Roy, N K Premchandran, Gaurav Gogoi, Shashi Tharoor, and Assaduddin Owaisi opposed the introduction of the bill in the Lok Sabha, which seeks to give citizenship to non-Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan escaping religious persecution there, saying it violated various provisions of the Constitution, and was a move to grant citizenship on the basis of religion.

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(With inputs from ANI)