Akhil Gogoi Detained for Protesting Against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill at NEDA Conclave

The week has not been going well for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah. On 19 May, his chief ministerial candidate in Karnataka, BS Yeddyrappa, resigned after serving two days as the CM. On 20  May, Shah landed in Guwahati to attend the third conclave of the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), but was welcomed with black flags waved by Akhil Gogoi and his organisation, the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS). If this was not enough, an ally of the BJP, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) opposed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 at the NEDA meeting, represented by its president Atul Bora.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, if passed, would simplify the citizenship process for non-Muslims from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. In Assam, this is largely being perceived as violating the Assam Accord.

The KMSS had planned the black-flag protest well in advance and was all set to greet Shah with it right at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi Airport itself in Guwahati. However, the police were quick to act, and detained Gogoi along with nearly 300 KMSS members from different locations in Guwahati.

Gogoi has been spearheading the civilian protests against the Bill. Despite courting arrest a number of times and bouncing in and out of custody, the KMSS advisor and activist has stuck to his guns over the Bill.

On 19 May, Akhil Gogoi had managed to get support in opposition to the Bill from a group formerly well disposed to it, the Bengali Joint Co-ordination Committee (BJCC). The understanding between the two groups is that the BJCC will back the KMSS in opposing the Bill, and in return the KMSS will support the BJCC on the issue of rights of Bengali speakers facing harassment as doubtful voters. The same day, the Axom Nagarik Samaj — a civil society organisation headed by Sahitya Akademi awardee poet Hare Krishna Deka — demanded that the CM, Sarbananda Sonowal make his stand clear on the issue. The organisation is opposed to giving citizenship to any post-1971 illegal immigrants, irrespective of religion, and has thus registered its protest against the Bill.

At the NEDA meeting, the AGP’s stated position was that the Bill would violate the Assam Accord. Atul Bora asserted that there should not be any division of illegal migrants on the basis of religion. Hagrama Mohilary, president of the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) — another BJP ally — has maintained a diplomatic position on the Bill. He stated that since there seems to be public opposition to the Bill, a solution must be found that is acceptable to all stakeholders.