KMSS rages once again against 'CAA', demands CM Sonowal's intervention in rolling back Act

SIVASAGAR: Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), the peasants' body that was at the forefront of the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act last year, has once again taken its song of protests to the streets.

Even as leader Akhil Gogoi awaits release from prison a year after his sudden arrest from Jorhat while the protests were only starting to gain momentum, the other leaders of the organization have planned to re-launch the anti-CAA agitation on a massive scale.

Glimpses of that were witnessed in Upper Assam's Sivasagar district, with hundreds of supporters of the organization taking to the streets to 'warn' the BJP Government of dire consequences if it does not shelve its plans to enact the 'CAA', which seeks to grant citizenship to minority communities from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

Yesterday, KMSS leader Dhaijya Konwar, who was arrested during last year's protests, told supporters "Remember the sacrifice made by the likes of martyrs such as Sam Stefford and Dipanjal Das. We cannot let their sacrifices go in vain. We have to keep the struggle going so that we can finally win."

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Konwar also urged the public to "bid adieu" to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal as well as Ministers Atul Bora and Himanta Biswa Sarma from politics.

"We have resolved re-launch the agitation against 'CAA'. Around 20 organizations and the 'Raijor Dal' will begin the protests in Sivasagar in Upper Assam on December 11 next. On the 12th, we are announcing a "Raijor Garjan (public's roar) against the CAA across the State in all districts," Mukut Deka, the General Secretary of the KMSS told Inside Northeast over the phone.

During yesterday's demonstration in Sivasagar, the KMSS and its supporters paid its respects to the martyrs of the anti-CAA rebellion in Assam, who were allegedly killed in firing by police.

Meanwhile, the peasants' body has sent a memorandum to the Chief Minister seeking his intervention in the repealing of the controversial Act.

In its memorandum to the Chief Minister, it questioned why the rules of citizenship have all been changed to make room for "illegal" foreigners from neighbouring Muslim-majority countries. The two major demands of the body, as stated in the memorandum, are the repealing of the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 and the immediate and unconditional release of Akhil Gogoi.

All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and other students' organisations in the north-eastern region have intensified their agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Act and observed Friday as 'black day' across the region.

Meanwhile, around 20 organizations are supporting the KMSS and its political wing (Raijor Dal) in its second iteration of the protests against the allegedly "draconian" law. Today, the organization is holding protests all across Assam to bring more attention to its demand.

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