Assamese in London oppose Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016

21st August, 2018

Assamese Community in London delivers a memorandum to the High Commissioner of India to oppose on Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016

The Assamese Community in London are deeply concerned because of the threat posed by the forthcoming Indian Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016. If the bill passes through it will have a serious implication on the people of Assam regarding the demography, culture and the Assamese language. Our identity are at threat and our safety as an NRA (Non-Resident Assamese) .

A delegation members of Assamese Community in London led by Dr. Benu Kakati, Rini Kakati, Dr. Apurba Baruah, Krishna Baruah, Dr. Sarada Sarma, Binu Sarma, Dr. Pallab Das and Dr. Amit Sarmah on Friday,13 July, 2018 went to meet HE Shri Y K Sinha, Indian High Commissioner to UK at India House, Aldwych, who received them with warmth and hospitality. His father Lt Gen SK Sinha, was Former Governor of Assam whose immense contributions and effort to the welfare of Assam will always be remembered.

The people who are not Indian citizen ( Non Indians) are not covered by the constitution of India.If a large number of vulnerable refugees from Bangladesh need to be given Indian Citizenship, then these refugees should be settled by the central Government in all over India not in Assam only.

The delegation requested HE Shri Y K Sinha, Indian High Commissioner to UK to convey our concern to the appropriate government departments in New Delhi, India notably to our Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee as India Government’s UK representative.

There is a strong probability that a significant beneficiary of this amendment would be Bangladeshi Hindus and would immigrate to Assam .This will endanger the very existence of Assamese Culture and Assamese Identity. No other state faces such a risk and therefore those states are indifferent to this development.

We strongly object to the citizenship amendment bill 2016 based on the following factual reasons:

The Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 breaches the fundamental principle of the Indian Constitution in Article 14 which declares India as a sovereign, secular,democratic republic assuring its citizens justice and equality within the territory of India and prohibits discrimination on the grounds of religion, race ,caste sex or place of birth within India or any of them.

If a significant portion of Bangladeshi Hindu refugees entering into India are given permanent settlement in Assam the demography of Assam, Assamese language and Assamese Culture face a great identity crisis. If for humanitarian reasons these refugees escaping persecution need to the settled in India, they should be proportionately distributed to all the Indian States and Union Territories and not just in Assam.

Based on Assam accord, at the intervention of the Supreme Court of India and on the instruction of the Central Government , Government of Assam is engaged in intensive updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to include people permanently residing in the state till 24th March 1971 and to treat only those people as genuine citizens of the country.Under Assam Accord Assam has already agreed to absorb an alarmingly large number of foreign nationals that had entered Assam illegally until March 1971.

The present attempt of the Government of India to extend citizenship beyond the cut off point of 24th March 1971 is unacceptable.The state of Assam is already overburdened with high influx of foreign nationals from Bangladesh, causing serious economic and social distress and identity crisis for the indigenous communities of Assam.

Under these circumstances, the proposed amendment poses a serious threat to the existence of Assam as a unique cultural and linguistic entity enshrined in the formation of various states at independence of India.

We therefore strongly demand the withdrawal of the Citizenship Amendment Bill.

Furthermore, we join hands with the other global organisations of Assamese communities notably Global Assam Association in implementing the following actions to safeguard the legitimate interests of the indigenous people of Assam.

Considering the strategic situation of Assam and it’s people’s total loyalty to India despite emergence of so many secessionist insurgency groups in the North East, we request the Government of India to implement our due demands as outlined above and let us keep our unique.

Rini Kakati