CAA: College students boycott classes in Assam, show black flags

Tinsukia: Students of most colleges across upper Assam showed black flags in front of their institutions and burned copies of Citizenship (Amendment) Act on Wednesday, amid boycott of classes.

The development comes on a day when the Supreme Court heard a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of CAA, and on the backdrop of a total shutdown of higher educational institution called by Northeastern Universities Students’ group in the region.

Speaking with EastMojo, Women’s College Students’ Union general secretary Priyanka Mohanty said, “From Rs 50 lakh loan to scholarships and free books, whatever temptations may come, one thing is absolutely clear that we will not accept CAA.”

If the government feels that since it has become an Act now, students will forget it after two days because the students are engaged in the ongoing admissions, they are mistaken,” Mohanty added.

Once again, placards and slogans were the “weapons” of protest. Holding placards in their hands, hundreds of students raised anti-CAA slogans — which gained popularity with the protests intensifying — in front of their college gates.

“We the members of Tinsukia College Students’ Union and AASU have burned copies of CAA in front of the college gate,” an activist of AASU told media persons outside Tinsukia College.

“We want to warn Delhi and Dispur governments that our democratic protest will continue till the time this Act is not scrapped. We will not allow to impose this Act on the indegenious people of Assam,” he added.

AASU Dibrugarh district president Bulbul Dutta said, “All colleges under Dibrugarh University have boycotted classes, showed black flags and burned CAA copies on the appeal of our organisation.”