AJYCP Stages Statewide Protests, Clashes With Police Over CAA Foreigners’ Case Withdrawal

The Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), Tinsukia district committee, spearheaded a massive joint protest march on Friday against the Assam government’s recent directive instructing district commissioners and senior police officials to withdraw foreigners’ prosecution cases against non-Muslim minorities (Hindus, Christians, Jains, Sikhs, Parsis, Buddhists) who entered Assam before December 31, 2014, as per the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

The protestors marched from the AJYCP Tinsukia district office to the police station, expressing strong opposition to the government order and demanding immediate revocation of the directive. The protest quickly escalated into a tense situation.

Similar joint protests were held across Assam — including in Sivasagar, Jorhat, Goreswar, Dibrugarh, Dhemaji, Bajali, and other districts — with thousands of AJYCP members and local residents participating in demonstrations against the Assam government’s decision.

Background

The Assam government, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, recently issued an order directing district commissioners and senior police officials to withdraw ongoing foreigners’ prosecution cases against illegal Hindu immigrants from Bangladesh and other non-Muslim minorities who arrived before December 31, 2014, under the CAA.

The AJYCP has strongly condemned this directive, calling it unconstitutional and detrimental to the indigenous Assamese people’s identity and rights. The organization asserts that the directive directly violates the Assam Accord of 1985, which sets 1971 as the citizenship cutoff year, and threatens to change Assam’s demographic and cultural fabric.

Protest Details and Police Reaction

• In Tinsukia, the protest march from the AJYCP office to the police station witnessed tense moments amid heavy police deployment.

• In Jorhat, the AJYCP’s large joint protest was obstructed by police barricades. Despite police efforts to block the march, demonstrators vocally opposed the CAA and the Chief Minister’s directive with numerous slogans.

• Goreswar witnessed a vociferous AJYCP protest against the government’s order to halt foreigners’ prosecution.

• In Dibrugarh, police action to block the protests led to scuffles and injuries among the activists. The AJYCP strongly condemned police repression.

• In Dhemaji, hundreds of AJYCP members held a joint protest rally despite heavy police presence.

• In Bajali, the AJYCP organized a joint protest at Bajali Sadar Pathshala with hundreds of members. The police tried to block the protest and resorted to physical measures, causing injuries among youth activists.

The AJYCP leaders accused the Assam police of using authoritarian “fascist” tactics to suppress democratic protests.

Statements from AJYCP Leaders

In a press release, AJYCP Central President Palash Changmai and General Secretary Bijan Bayen expressed grave concern over the Assam government’s move. They called the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) unconstitutional and anti-Assamese, noting that the Assamese people have never accepted the divisive law.

They pointed out that over 200 political parties and organizations across India have filed cases challenging the CAA in the Supreme Court, and the AJYCP itself has been actively opposing the law through democratic protests and legal action.

However, they lamented that the ruling BJP government forcibly imposed the law to create a permanent vote bank at the cost of Assam’s interests, ignoring public sentiment.

They said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s recent directive to withdraw foreigners’ prosecution cases against illegal Hindu immigrants entering Assam before December 31, 2014, is a betrayal of the Assam Accord and the indigenous Assamese community.

They stated the directive would grant citizenship to nearly 70,000 illegal Hindu immigrants overnight, thereby threatening the survival of Assamese language and culture. The AJYCP termed Himanta Biswa Sarma “the biggest enemy of the Assamese nation” for orchestrating this demographic change.

Demands and Warnings

The AJYCP demanded immediate cancellation of the directive and a full implementation of the Assam Accord with the 1971 cutoff for citizenship. They urged the repeal of the Citizenship Amendment Act, calling it “anti-Assamese” and unconstitutional.

The organization warned that if the government proceeds with granting citizenship under this directive, Assam would soon become a Bengali-majority state, eroding the Assamese people’s political and cultural identity.

They also criticized the Chief Minister for contradictory actions — on one hand initiating eviction drives and crackdowns against suspected illegal immigrants, while on the other hand granting citizenship to thousands of illegal Hindu immigrants through backdoor administrative orders.

AJYCP leaders accused the Modi government of interfering unethically in the judicial process by trying to enforce the CAA while the Supreme Court cases remain pending, delaying fair adjudication.

Protest Slogans and Atmosphere

Protesters raised slogans including:

• “Himanta Biswa Sarma Murdabad” (Down with Himanta Biswa Sarma)

• “Stop ‘CAA’”

• “Implement Assam Accord”

• “Assam Government Murdabad”

• “We Reject ‘CAA’”

The protest atmosphere was charged and intense across districts, reflecting widespread discontent with the government’s policy.

Police Crackdown and Arrests

Following the announcement of the statewide joint protest marches, police forces in multiple districts attempted to prevent AJYCP activists from organizing protests, arresting many and intimidating others to disrupt the movement.

AJYCP condemned these actions as attempts to stifle democratic dissent and compared the current regime’s tactics to “fascist and Hitlerian rule.”

Meanwhile, the youth organisation has pledged to continue its protests and legal fight against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the Assam government’s directive until their demands are met. The organization called upon all pro-democracy and indigenous rights groups to unite and oppose what they describe as an “anti-Assamese and unconstitutional” policy threatening Assam’s future.

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