Member-only story
Voices from Assam
An insider’s take on the situation: what is real vs the rumours that have been spreading
Before I start this article, let me tell you a little but about my homeland, Assam — a north-eastern province of the largest democracy in the world, India. From 1979–1985 the Assam Agitation took place. This was a largely non-violent protest by the natives of Assam against illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. During these troubled times, colleges and offices were shut down for more than one year and nearly 860+ people sacrificed their lives in the hope of an Infiltration-free Assam.
The movement came to an end when the Government agreed to some of the demands and signed the Assam Accord in August 1985. According to this,
Foreigners who came to Assam on or after March 25, 1971, shall continue to be detected, deleted and practical steps shall be taken to expel such foreigners.
Basically any person who came to Assam after March 25, 1971, shouldn’t be considered as a citizen and they shouldn’t be granted voting rights etc. In addition, they also should be identified and expelled.
On 11th December, 2019, the Indian government passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill, according to which-
The Citizenship Amendment Bill (the CAB, in short) seeks to…
