Guwahati, Mar 12: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has warned political parties against calling for bandhs against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Sarma’s warning came in the wake of the ongoing anti-CAA sentiments in Assam, triggered by Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent announcement regarding the framing of rules for the Act just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Highlighting a Gauhati High Court order from March 2019, Sarma asserted that all forms of bandhs, including road and rail blockades, are deemed illegal and unconstitutional. He emphasized that while protests are a fundamental right, political parties must respect the court order.
It is important to note that, Himanta Biswa Sarma asserted that there is no use in protesting against a Bill passed by both houses of Parliament, Sarma also indicated that the aggrieved parties can seek relief through the judiciary. He suggested that if there are justifiable grounds for challenging the CAA, the Supreme Court could intervene, and the state would abide by its verdict.
It needs to be mentioned that CAA, passed in 2019, facilitates citizenship in India fleeing from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan due to religious persecution.
Assam police has issued legal notices to sixteen political parties for jointly calling shutdown today against CAA.
The 16-party United Opposition Forum, Assam (UOFA), announced a state-wide shutdown from Tuesday and planned to carry out other agitational programs in a phased manner in protest against the centre decision to implement Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA).
On the other hand, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and 30 indigenous organisations have announced protests against the CAA.
On Monday evening, protests have started sporadically by burning copies of the law in various parts of Assam, including Guwahati, Barpeta, Lakhimpur, Nalbari, Dibrugarh, and Tezpur.
The leadership of All Assam Students Union ( AASU) have decided to travel to New Delhi to urge Centre to withdraw the CAA notification.
The Northeast Student Organization (NESO) planned to burn copies of the CAA in all state capitals of the region.
Meanwhile, elaborate security arrangements have been made in Assam, with march by security forces in sensitive areas. Police leaves have been cancelled.
To thwart any untoward incidents, additional police and paramilitary personnel were deployed around the state secretariat, assembly compound in Guwahati, and other vital installations.
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