The demand to scrap the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was revived today, with a mass protest at Barik Point here.
The North East Students Organisation (NESO) called for such protests across the North East states today. The sit-in in Shillong was led by the Khasi Students Union (KSU) on the grounds of the statue to freedom fighter Kiang Nangbah.
Several other groups, like the Jaiñtia Students Union (JSU), Federation of Khasi, Jaiñtia and Garo People (FKJGP), Ri-Bhoi Youth Federation (RBYF), Hynñiewtrep Integrated Territorial Organisation (HITO) participated in the demonstration.
The North East was rocked in late 2019 and early 2020 over the CAA and Meghalaya was no exception. The demonstrations and unrest only abated once the Assembly passed a resolution in favour of the Inner Line Permit and the Chief Minister pushed for Meghalaya’s exemption from the purview of the act.
Soon after, the Covid-19 pandemic arrived in India and CAA went on the backburner. However, recently, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that CAA’s implementation will be completed once the pandemic is over.
NESO chairman Samuel Jyrwa said today that no demonstration against the act was possible due to the pandemic over the last two years.
“The government of India, instead of addressing our issues and looking into the other issues which might help preserve our identity and our culture, instead brought in the CAA, which is against the interests of the indigenous peoples of the different states of the North East region,” he said.
He added that NESO is also demanding the implementation of ILP in Meghalaya, Assam and Tripura. It is already in place in Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram.
A few months ago, Deputy CM Prestone Tynsong said that areas falling under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which comprise most of the state, have been exempted from the CAA but the state government is still pushing the Centre for full exemption, even in non-Schedule areas.
In any event, Jyrwa said that CAA exemption for Meghalaya is only “temporary relief” as it applies in Assam (apart from scheduled areas as well) and the neighbouring state can be used as a springboard for migrants into Meghalaya as there is currently no ILP in either state.
“It is not that the indigenous communities of the North East region are anti-India or anti-national but it is the government of India which is anti-people, anti-indigenous and anti-North East,” Jyrwa said.
