Citizenship Bill: Three Assam intellectuals booked for sedition over Assam sovereignty remarks

Dr Gohain, Akhil Gogoi and former journalist Manjit Mahanta have been booked under sections related to sedition after their comments on the probability of the resurgence of a fight for sovereignty in Assam during a protest rally against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 held in Guwahati on Jan 7.

According to the reports, a suo-motu FIR was lodged at Latasil police station in Guwahati under sections 120 (B), 121, 123 and 124 (A) of the Indian Panel Code (IPC).

A case was registered under the sections at the police station.

Guwahati city police commissioner Deepak Kumar said that, a case was registered after certain statements were made at that meeting and police will investigate the matter.

Hiren Gohain and Assam farmer leader Akhil Gogoi had raised Assam sovereignty issue publicly in the meeting organised by ‘Save Assam Forum’ to protest against the Citizenship Bill.
 

Akhil Gogoi said that, if the bill is accepted in the parliament, then the Assamese people will be no more with Indian stand.

“We will declare sovereignty in Assam. This is an unconstitutional, illegal and unethical bill, so this bill should be immediately scrapped,” Akhil Gogoi said.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016, which is aimed to grant Indian citizenship to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan has been passed in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.