Why Activists Have Called For Fresh Anti-CAA Protests In Assam

After the Narendra Modi government's decision to repeal the three controversial farm laws, organisations throughout Assam are planning to renew protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

They have scheduled a series of protests to begin on December 10th, the death anniversary of Khargeswar Talukdar, who is remembered in Assam as the 'first martyr' of the six-year Assam Agitation against 'illegal immigrants.' Similar anti-CAA sentiments have been expressed by organisations in other northeastern states, particularly Meghalaya.

The CAA and the protest against it in Assam

The CAA, which was passed by Parliament on December 11, 2019, grants persecuted minority groups in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan expedited citizenship. Hindus,

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Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians, and Parsis were the six minority groups specifically identified in the act.

However, the act excludes Muslims and makes no provision for Muslim sects such as Shias and Ahmedis, who face persecution in Pakistan and other countries. Citizenship Amendment Act beneficiaries can live in any state in India, and the burden of persecuted migrants will be shared by the entire country.

This infuriated indigenous populations in BJP-ruled Assam, where they have long feared being outnumbered by Bangladeshi migrants and settlers from other areas of India.

According to organisations like the All Assam Students' Union (AASU), which led the 1979-85 Assam Agitation, and Akhil Gogoi's Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), the CAA will turn Assam into a Bangladeshi dumping ground.

They further alleged that the law violated the 1985 Assam Accord, which set March 24, 1971, as the cut-off date for identifying, detaining, and deporting illegally living foreigners, regardless of religion.

Anti-CAA stir in December 2019

After the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha in January 2019, Assam became the first state to reject the CAA, with the regional Asom Gana Parishad briefly dropping out of the BJP's alliance. When the Rajya Sabha enacted the Bill on December 11 of that year, a series of protests culminated in a wave of violence.

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Protesters set fire to automobiles and public property in Guwahati and other cities. As police and armed forces members fired to disperse rioters, at least five persons were killed. Anti-CAA protests erupted across the country, although the intensity of the demonstrations in Assam and other parts of the country started progressively fading when the COVID-19 lockdown was announced in March 2020.

Who is at the helm of the fresh movement?

Several Assamese organisations, including the All Assam Students Union (AASU) and political parties such as the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) and the Raijor Dal, have stated their intention to relaunch the agitation. When the anti-CAA movement began in December 2019, following the Act's promulgation, these organisations were at the forefront.

The AASU and the KMSS led protests in 2019 at the same time. The restart of the initiative to commemorate the second anniversary of the Bill's passage by Parliament appears to be heading in the same direction. The Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), a political party created in the aftermath of the anti-CAA protests a year ago, has also jumped on board.

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¡°The farmers showed what we can achieve by agitating relentlessly and making sacrifices. They have inspired us to not make any compromise on the CAA,¡± AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi told The Hindu. The AASU has also announced a series of protests, although the remarks are being made by its main advisor, Samujjal K. Bhattacharya, whose influence in the organisation is waning.

The KMSS is a member of the Coordination Committee Against CAA, which includes the CPI (Marxist) and the Liberal Democratic Party as well as other organisations. After a demonstration-turned-protest on December 12, Deben Tamuli, the committee's chief coordinator, said they would plan the movement's strategy.

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