Protests in Assam as Centre notifies CAA rules

Guwahati, March 11 : Hours after the Central government on Monday notified the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) rules, there were protests in Assam as the new law has been a subject of contention in the northeastern state.

Assam had earlier witnessed protests including violence in several places after the Bill was passed into law in 2019.

On Monday, copies of the CAA were burnt by the influential All Assam Students Union (AASU) and 30 indigenous organisations in different parts of the state.

Besides announcing a state-wide hartal (strike) on Tuesday, the 16-party United Opposition Forum, Assam (UOFA) would also hold a series of agitation programmes.

Chief Advisor of AASU, Samujjal Bhattacharya said that the North East Student Organisation (NESO) will burn copies of the CAA on Tuesday in each of the state capitals in the northeast.

The next day, a Satyagraha would be launched by AASU and 30 organisations, along with torchlight processions in Assam, he stated.

Bhattacharya had earlier said: "CAA is an injustice towards the people of Assam and northeast, and at least 53 petitions from Assam and Tripura have been submitted before the Supreme Court against it since December 2019.

tdr/pgh