GUWAHATI
The North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) comprising eight major student bodies in the region, observed ‘black day’ on Sunday to mark the third anniversary of the passage of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
The organisations are Khasi Students’ Union, All Assam Students’ Union, Naga Students’ Federation, Mizo Zirlai Pawl, Twipra Students’ Federation, All Manipur Students’ Union, Garo Students’ Union and All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union.
“This observation is to give a message to the government of India that we are against this Citizenship (Amendment) Act of 2019, and to remind our people of yet another political injustice that the Centre perpetrated on the indigenous peoples of the northeast,” NESO chairman Samuel B. Jyrwa said.
The Assam Jatiya Parishad, a regional political party observed it as the day the Centre “cheated” the northeast three years ago. “Our members and supporters staged a two-hour protest against the draconian CAA,” Jagadish Bhuyan, the Party’s general secretary said.
The Assam-based coordination committee against CAA decided to observe the third death anniversary of the “martyrs” of the anti-CAA agitation. On December 12, 2019, the security forces had fired on anti-CAA protestors, killing five of them including a schoolboy.
“Family members of the martyrs will also be honoured on the occasion. Eminent sociologist, Yogendra Yadav will be the main speaker of the function,” Deben Tamuly, the organisation’s chief coordinator said.
