Staging a symbolic protest against the controversial amendment of the Citizenship Act, as many as four members of the Jorhat chapter of the 'Sanmilita Lachit Sena', an influential indigenous organization of Assam, on Tuesday tonsured their heads in front of the DC Office.
ALSO READ: Conrad Sangma an “Agent” of the BJP, Claims Congress’ Mukul Sangma
"The protest began at 11:30 and was joined by many locals...district President Manoj Kumar Bordoloi himself tonsured his head...the people stayed at the protest site till around 1 am...", a source informed Inside Northeast.
ALSO READ: Supreme Court to Hear 75 Petitions Challenging ‘CAA’ Tomorrow
The message issued by the 'Sanmilita Lachit Sena' members was loud and clear -- that the CAA would not be accepted at any cost by the people. The leaders further condemned the ruling BJP for trying to impose the legislation that people fear could lose their language, culture, and identity.
"The amendment of the Citizenship Act is being decried by us, and we have tonsured our heads in a ceremony supported by locvals. We condemn the people who have imposed this Act that could dilute the identity of Assam. The fascist Government that is conspiring to erode the identity of Assam...we decry them...and we will meet them with stiff resistance", said Manoj Kumar Bordoloi, the President of the Jorhat chapter of the Lachit Sena.
It may be mentioned here that the CAA has been designed to fast-track the process of granting citizenship to six non-Muslim communities — Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian — who allegedly fled religious persecution in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan till December 31, 2014, and took refuge in India.
Support Inside Northeast (InsideNE), an independent media platform that focuses on Citizen-centric stories from Northeast India that are surprising, inspiring, cinematic and emotionally relevant.
Readers like you make Inside Northeast’s work possible.
To support our brand of fearless and investigative journalism, support us HERE.
Download:
The Inside Northeast app HERE for News, Views, and Reviews from Northeast India.
Do keep following us for news on-the-go. We deliver the Northeast.