Three student leaders today started an indefinite hunger strike inside the district jail here demanding scrapping of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
Mohen Bora, general secretary of All Assam Chutia Students’ Union’s (AACSU), Bidyut Saikia, general secretary of Satra Mukti Sangram Samiti (SMSS) and Rajib Laskar, organizing secretary of Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Parishad (AJYCP) were arrested by police on Tuesday for allegedly vandalizing the Golaghat district office of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).
“The BJP led government has shown its fascist colour and if they are thinking that by putting us behind bars they can crush our voice of protest then they are living in fool’s paradise” the student leaders said in a press statement issued from inside the jail.
On the other hand members of AACSU, SMSS and various other organizations staged a sit in protest in front of the district jail demanding their immediate and unconditional release. The AACSU activists also resorted to rail blockade at Sarupathar area.
They were arrested under various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) on the basis of the FIR lodged by Simanta Bora, secretary of district unit of BJP.
“Around 8.30 am on Tuesday a group of unidentified miscreants claiming to be bandh supporters came to our district head office and forcefully entered after overpowering the house guard. They set the hoardings of Atal Bihari Vajpayee on fire, the fatherly figure who became a source of inspiration for lakhs of BJP workers and who was respected and loved by all. The miscreants entered into our office and destroyed computer sets and damaged furniture” said Debajit Bora, district president of BJP said.
“We condemned such cowardly acts and it is nothing but a conspiracy of some vested interest groups who are trying to destabilize the smooth functioning of our government. We will not tolerate this type of activity and will not let them succeed in their motive,” Bora said.