Student organization holds protest against Citizenship Bill in India

Published at 12:17 am December 21st, 2018

People stand in line to check their names on the first draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the Indian state of Assam on January 1AFP

RFile Photo: People stand in line to check their names on the first draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the Indian state of Assam on January 1 AFP

A sit-in protest was organized in Delhi on Wednesday by the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. The protest was led by NESO constituents: All Assam Student’s Union (AASU), All Manipur Student’s Union (AMSU), All Arunachal Pradesh Student’s Union (AAPSU), Naga Students Federation (NSF), Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), Khasi Student’s Union (KSU), Garo Student’s Union (GSU) and Twipra Student’s Federation (TSF).

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, aims to grant Indian citizenship to refugees belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, Jain, and Parsee communities escaping persecution from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The Bill was introduced by the Narendra Modi-led BJP government in India’s Lok Sabha in July 2016.

Notably, the NESO executives and members of its component organizations called on the Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, Rajendra Agarwal, at Shillong Convention Centre Hall on May 20, 2018, and warned him of potential dangers which will erupt in Northeast India if the Government passes the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

Thursday’s protest witnessed the participants chanting slogans and holding banners such as “We Oppose Citizenship Amendment Bill,” “Seal Indo-Bangladesh Border,” “India for Indians and not for Illegal Bangladeshis,” and “Sign Bilateral Treaty with Bangladesh for Repatriation of Illegal Bangladeshis.”