The razing debate over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, that has rocked the state of Assam, has not kept the 3000 odd students of Assam University in Silchar silent either.
While a section of the students backed by All Assam Students Union (AASU) brought out a rally on Wednesday evening last, opposing the bill, a mass support in favour of the bill was once again witnessed on Thursday evening.
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Students in large numbers along with staffs and teachers of Assam University assembled at its main entrance and chanted slogans in support of the bill.
The students displayed placards, all written in Bengali, with inscriptions of, ‘we are proud to be an Indian and a Bengali’, ‘we are proud of our language’, ‘we denounce chauvinistic nationalism’, and the likes.
“University is not a place for dirty politics of chauvinism. This university has a special significance for it came into existence after a series of struggle by the people of this valley. I personally support this bill, said, Debopratim Saha, general secretary of Assam University Students Union (AUSU).
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The university students with support from All Cachar Karimganj Hailakandi Students Association (ACKHSA) also chanted slogans paying rich tributes to the 11 martyrs who fought for protecting Bengali as a language in 1961.
Talking to Northeast Now, former president of AUSU, Milan Das, said, “We have assembled together in support of this bill. It has already been passed in Lok Sabha and now we want it to be passed in Rajya Sabha too. We strongly condemn that few students sat for opposing this bill at the entrance of our university on Wednesday.”
Meanwhile, Dipankar Deka, a student who sat for a protest on Wednesday at the main gates of this university, talking to this correspondent, said, “We sat in protest and condemn for the steps taken by both the State as well as the Central Governments to impose Citizens Amendment Bill upon us, as well as, all indigenous people of the Northeast.”
“The people of Northeast would lose their indigenous identity, if this bill is passed. Sitting at Barak valley we showed our ‘silent’ protest for this bill,” said, Dipankar Deka.