On CAA’s 6th anniversary, student unions across Northeast stage black-flag protests
In Guwahati, AASU members displayed black flags & chanted “CAA ami namanu” during their protest gathering in Uzan Bazar
AASU protest in Guwahati
Guwahati, Dec 11: Marking the sixth anniversary of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), students’ unions across Assam and other northeastern states staged coordinated protests on Thursday, renewing their demand for the repeal of the legislation.
In Assam's Guwahati, members of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and other affiliates under the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) gathered in front of Swahid Nyas Bhawan at Uzan Bazar, waving black flags and chanting slogans such as “CAA ami namanu,” “AASU long live,” and “NESO long live.”
“We have staged this protest demanding the repeal of the CAA. Until the Act is withdrawn, our agitation will continue. Today, seven northeastern states have joined this protest against the central and state governments,” one protester said.
AASU protest in Guwahati, Uzan Bazar
In Upper Assam’s Margherita, the Assam Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) organised a sit-in calling for the scrapping of the Act. Protesters also condemned alleged police brutality during the earlier anti-CAA movement and demanded official state recognition and honour for the five people killed in police firing.
More than a hundred members of the Margherita Regional Committee participated, along with AJYCP Tinsukia District Committee vice president Kanchan Bora.
“Today, we held a three-hour silent protest. During the anti-CAA agitation, Assam Police killed five innocent people. We strongly condemn this and reiterate our demands—the repeal of the CAA and official state recognition for the five martyrs,” Bora said.
Similar demonstrations were held in Nalbari, where the AJYCP staged a three-hour silent sit-in at Nalbari Natya Mandir, renewing demands for repeal of the Act and martyr status for those who died during the mass movement.
In Meghalaya, the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) marked the anniversary by displaying black banners across Shillong to observe “Black Day”.
The KSU, also a NESO constituent, joined organisations across seven northeastern states in symbolic opposition to the law, which was passed on 11 December 2019 despite widespread objections from indigenous communities.
NESO chairman Samuel Jyrwa said that December 11 remains a painful reminder for the Northeast, calling the CAA a “draconian law” that threatens indigenous rights and identity.
AJYCP protest in Margherita
NESO urged people across the region to continue the movement and “keep on fighting for the just cause which is our God given right.”
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act grants Indian citizenship to non-Muslim minorities, such as Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who migrated before December 31, 2014, citing religious persecution.