Protests in Nagaland over CAA

Kohima, Dec 11 (PTI) The Naga Students' Federation (NSF) on Thursday observed 'North East Black Day' in Kohima, protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Member organisations of the North East Students' Organisation (NESO) held demonstrations across all states in the region to mark the day the Act was passed in Parliament in 2019.

NSF general secretary Kenilo Kent said the observance of the 'black day' across the region symbolised a collective stand of resistance.

"Today, we stand together in collective defiance along with the rest of the people of the Northeast," he said.

Kent alleged that the law is discriminatory in nature and a direct threat to the indigenous people of the Northeast.

"Our homeland is not just a physical space, it is the cradle of our identity, culture and history," he said, adding that the CAA posed an existential threat to indigenous rights.

NESO secretary general Mutsikhoyo Yhobu said the students' bodies had opposed the law since its inception.

"Today, the entire Northeast is observing this black day against the imposition of the Citizenship Amendment Act," he said.

He reiterated that NESO had consistently demanded that the Act not be implemented in the Northeast, pointing out that although ILP-covered states were exempted, the region as a whole remained vulnerable.

Yhobu said NESO, along with its member bodies, was compelled to observe the 'black day' to send a message to the Centre that "we don’t want this Citizenship Amendment Act".

All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) vice president (protocol) Nabam Gandhi claimed the law was "socially and economically damaging for the region".

"Before implementing any Act, there must be a study of its social and economic impact," he said, noting that the CAA failed to consider the unique demographic vulnerability of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and other tribal-dominated states.

He argued that the ILP exemption offered by the Centre was nothing more than "a chocolate" to placate indigenous communities.

"This ILP can be lifted anytime," he warned, stressing that unrestricted settlement of migrants could erode tribal cultures, customs and natural resources.

Yhobu led the symbolic burning of CAA documents, declaring it an act of public dissent against the implementation of the law in the Northeast. PTI NBS NBS SOM