This is the second region-wise shutdown over this issue this year. (File)
The 11-hour shutdown called by an umbrella body of students' organisations in the northeast to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill began at 5 am today. The North East Students' Organisation (NESO), backed by other organisations and political parties, will observe the shutdown till 4 pm against the bill that was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Nagaland, where the annual Hornbill Festival is on, has been exempted. Several Left-backed organisations have separately called a 12-hour Assam shutdown today.
The protesters have claimed that the Bill is an attempt to nullify the Assam Accord of 1985. The legislation, which seeks to make it easier for non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to gain citizenship, an "attempt to rob the Northeast of its identity", they have
On Monday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had called for an end to protests in the Northeast against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, saying that appropriate exceptions have been made to ensure that its regional identity is protected. "I just want to tell the people that all the objections posed by north-eastern states have been addressed in this bill. There is no reason to get alarmed, there is no need to protest, enough has happened already, now this country just wants to go ahead peacefully," he said, urging agitators to not be swayed by those opposed to the bill.
The Union Minister explained that many parts of the Northeast have been excluded from the bill's purview in view of their objections. His assurance came amid protests in the region, where people claim that it will harm their identity.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who are facing religious persecution. They will be given Indian citizenship after residing in the country for five years, instead of 11 years which is the current norm.
The Bill would not be applicable to Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram where the Inner Line Party system exists and those tribal regions of Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura which are governed under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
This is the second region-wise shutdown over this issue this year. Several organisations observed a bandh on January 8 when the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed earlier. However, the Bill lapsed as it was not introduced in Rajya Sabha. A new version was tabled on Lok Sabha on Monday.