Itanagar: The North East Students’ Organization (NESO), would like last year, observe December 11 as ‘Black Day’ across the Northeast in protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019.
NESO chairman Samuel B Jyrwa said the organization had last year declared that December 11 will always be remembered as a ‘Black Day’ for the entire region.
“Despite relentless opposition of the indigenous people of the northeast against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019, the Government of India, through the Rajya Sabha had passed the draconian law on December 11, 2019. This observation is to give a message to the Government of India that the people of the Northeast are against the Act,” Jyrwa said in a statement on Friday.
The CAA was passed by the Lok Sabha on December 11, 2019 and by the Rajya Sabha eight days later on December 11, 2019, despite widespread protests across the Northeast and several other parts of the country.
The object of the CAA is to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities — Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian — from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who entered the country on or before December 31, 2014.
Jyrwa said the observation of Black Day is also to remind the people of yet another political injustice that the Centre has perpetrated against the indigenous people of the Northeast.
So NESO calls upon all the people of the region to support this observation and at the same time keep fighting for the just cause which is our God given right, he said.
The organization chairman said “NESO, which comprises the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), Garo Students’ Union (GSU), Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), Twipra Student Federation (TSF), All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU) and All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) will display black flags and banners at all the important locations of the seven states.”
