A group of people from the Northeastern states to gather at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi on December 22nd, 2019 to protest against the new Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA).
The people under the banner of North East India Unites for Justice & Peace (NEIUJP) will stage a peaceful protest at 12 pm at the Jantar Mantar to register their opposition to the CAA and demand to unconditionally release Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti leader Akhil Gogoi, who is in NIA’s custody.
“India is facing a grave crisis at the moment. There have been a series of incidents which has left us anxious and insecure in our own country. This Citizenship Amendment Act disregards the rights of the indigenous people of Northeast India and is a complete assault on the secular and plural fabric of this country,” the NEIUJP stated in a press communique.
It added, “The region has witnessed many deaths, mass agitations and curfews, despite that our voices have not received the attention it deserves. The country forgets that this region has been historically marginalised and continues to be misunderstood and misrepresented. Considering the long history of suffering and alienation that the region has endured, we, the concerned members of the civil society, have come together to raise our voices against CAA.”
Check out the protest schedule:
Massive protests broke out across the country after the Rajya Sabha passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill which seeks to grant Indian citizenship to the people belonging to the Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Parsis who have become the victims of religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan and entered India on or before December 31st, 2014.
It may be mentioned, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s to address a massive rally on December 22nd,2019 at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan at a time when protests against the new Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) continue to rock the country.
Modi is scheduled to speak at the public rally around 11.30 am and is expected to bring up the CAA issue in his speech.
Photo credit: @MahilaCongress (L) & Time8
