Daijiworld Media Network – Guwahati

Guwahati, Aug 9: The All Assam Students' Union (AASU) on Friday staged statewide protests at district headquarters, opposing the Assam government’s alleged directive to withdraw all citizenship-related cases against illegal Hindu migrants.

The protests came despite Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s denial on Thursday of media reports claiming that officials of foreigners tribunals were asked to drop cases against members of six communities—Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, and Parsi—who entered Assam before 2015 under provisions of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

In Guwahati, members of AASU’s Kamrup Mahanagar unit gathered in front of the Swahid Nyas, where they burned copies of the reported directive and raised slogans against the government.

AASU President Utpal Sarma alleged that the state administration had indeed instructed Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police to withdraw such cases. Calling the move “unacceptable,” he said, “We reiterate our stand against the CAA and demand that the government withdraw this decision, which effectively protects illegal Hindu Bangladeshis in foreigners’ tribunals.”

Reiterating AASU’s long-standing demand for full implementation of the Assam Accord, Sarma said only those who entered Assam before March 24, 1971, regardless of religion, are eligible for Indian citizenship. “Anyone who came after that, Hindu or Muslim, must be identified and expelled,” he asserted.

He added that protests will continue across the state until the alleged directive is revoked and the constitutional and historical sanctity of the Assam Accord is upheld.