LIVE | Assam police 'order' Opposition parties to withdraw stir against CAA, warn of action
The 16-party United Opposition Forum, Assam (UOFA) has called a statewide hartal to protest against the implementation of the CAA
The Assam police have issued notices to opposition parties "ordering" them to "withdraw" the hartal over the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA and warned that "legal action" will be taken against them if they fail to follow the diktat, officials said on Tuesday.
The 16-party United Opposition Forum, Assam (UOFA) has called a statewide hartal to protest against the implementation of the CAA.
"It has come to the notice of the undersigned from the Press Note dated 11th March, 2024 released by 'United Opposition Forum' that you and your organization have called for 'Sarbatmak Hartal' in Assam on 12th March, 2024 from 6 am to 6 pm. Whereas, as a result of the 'Sarbatmak Hartal', there is every likelihood of breach of peace and security leading to disruption of normal life of peace loving citizens in the state," said the identical legal notices, dated March 11, sent to the office-bearers of different parties.
"Further, calling of such 'Sarbatmak Hartal' will lead to Highway and Railway Track Blockade, which has been declared as illegal and unconstitutional by various judgements of Hon'ble Supreme Court of India, Hon'ble Kerala High Court as well as Hon'ble Gauhati High Court," it added.
The notices "ordered" the parties to withdraw the hartal and co-operate in maintaining peace in the state.
"...failing which legal action will be taken against you in your personal capacity. Further, be known that in case there is any damage to public/private property including Railway and National Highway properties or injury to any citizen caused due to 'Sarbatmak Hartal', legal action under appropriate provisions of law... will be initiated against you and the total cost of damage to public and private properties will be recovered from you and your Organization," it said.
The notices were shared by Director-General of Police GP Singh on social media.
In a post on X, he said that the notices were served by the police to ensure there is no damage to public property and risk to the lives of the people by any agitation in the state.
Meanwhile, no untoward incident has been reported in the state so far, police said. Security has been tightened with additional deployment of police personnel. All police stations have been put on alert, patrolling has been intensified and check-posts have been set up on major thoroughfares in most towns of the state, including Guwahati which witnessed violent protests over the issue in December 2019, they said.
Nationality to non-Muslim migrants
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Centre on Monday (March 11) announced the implementation of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 for granting citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.
With the CAA rules being issued, the Modi government will now start granting Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants — Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians — from the three countries.
The CAA was passed in December 2019 and subsequently got the president's assent but there were protests in several parts of the country against it. The law could not come into effect as rules had not been notified till now.
Live Updates
- 11 March 2024 7:35 PM IST
Assam Oppn flays Centre
Opposition parties in Assam have flayed the BJP government at the Centre for implementing the contentious CAA.
The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), which launched a six-year agitation demanding the identification and deportation of illegal immigrants in 1979, said it will fight legally against the Centre’s move.
Congress LoP in Assam Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, termed the notification of CAA as “unfortunate”.
“When Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP had been saying since 2016 that all illegal foreigners will have to leave Assam, they betrayed the people of the state and brought in the CAA,” Saikia told PTI.
The people of Assam will make the PM and the BJP answerable for it, he added.
Raijor Dal President and MLA Akhil Gogoi said, “The process to legitimise 15-20 lakh Bangladeshi Hindus illegally living in Assam has begun. There is no other way but to come out on the street and protest against this unconstitutional act.”
Assam and several other northeastern states had witnessed protests after the BJP-led government at the Centre moved towards amending the citizenship act.
A section of the people of the region were scared that if the CAA is implemented, it would endanger their identity and livelihood.
“This is Delhi’s attack on Assam and the entire country. We appeal to all to come out and protest against this law peacefully and democratically,” Gogoi told PTI.
“Assam’s long struggle against illegal immigration has been nullified with just this one act. This act will also open the doors for 1.7 crore Hindus living in Bangladesh to cross over to Assam. There is no other option but to fight against this act with full force. It has to be an all-encompassing protest,” he said.
Chief advisor of AASU and North East Students’ Organisation Samujjal Bhattacharjya told PTI that the AASU will not accept the CAA and will continue to protest against it.
“We are already in talks with our advocates and will continue our legal fight against its implementation,” he said.
Meanwhile, BJP Senior Spokesperson Rupam Goswami welcomed the notification of the rules of the CAA as “this was much awaited”.
“There was a misinformation campaign by the Opposition that crores of Hindus from Bangladesh would enter Assam after the law was passed by Parliament, but nothing of that sort has happened,” Goswami said.
- 11 March 2024 7:31 PM IST
Tactic to divert attention and foster religious polarisation: Jharkhand Congress
Jharkhand Congress president Rajesh Thakur has termed the implementation of CAA a tactic by the BJP government at the Centre to divert people’s attention and foster religious polarisation ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Thakur said the Modi government appeared to be baffled after the Supreme Court dismissed the SBI’s request for an extension of time to disclose the details of electoral bonds to the Election Commission by March 12.
“The saffron party is in deep trouble after the Supreme Court’s order. Finding no way, it notified the CAA rules just to divert people’s mind from the issue,” Thakur said.
Thakur said the BJP wanted to create religious polarisation just ahead the Lok Sabha polls. “But, people of the country have understood the party and its stand. The CAA will not be in the interest of the country like other policies of the Modi government,” he said.
- 11 March 2024 7:23 PM IST
Matuas celebrate in Bengal
A section of West Bengal’s Matua community celebrated the implementation of the CAA 2019 at the headquarters of the sect in Thakurnagar, North 24-Parganas, on Monday, claiming it to be their “second Independence Day”.
Matuas, originally from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), are a weaker section of Hindus who migrated to India during the Partition and after the creation of Bangladesh.
The community, with an estimated population of three million in the state, can tilt the scales in favour of a political party in more than 30 assembly seats in Nadia, and North and South 24-Parganas districts bordering Bangladesh.
Members of the Matua community celebrated the occasion by beating drums and exchanging pleasantries and expressed their gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and local MP and Union minister Santanu Thakur for the Act’s implementation.
They hailed the moment as a defining one for them, expressing joy at finally being granted citizenship. However, a TMC supporter from the area, belonging to the sect, claimed that people of the community had previously obtained voter ID cards, ration cards, and Aadhaar cards, which were deactivated by the BJP a month ago.
The Matuas had once stood behind the TMC but supported the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
