SHILLONG: As a mark of protest against the Citizenship (Amendment), Bill 2016, the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) and North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) burnt the effigy of the Bill at Civil Hospital junction, near the statue of Khasi-Jaintia freedom fighter, Kiang Nangbah on Monday.
Prior to the burning of the effigy, KSU president, Lambokstarwell Marngar said, “Though the state government has opposed the Bill, it is yet to take a resolution and send it to the Central government to register its opposition to the Bill.”
He threatened that the organization will resort to violence if the Central government goes ahead with the Bill while asserting that the Central government would be responsible if such chaos erupts.
He maintained the Bill would bulldoze the rights of the indigenous people of the state and the North Eastern Region as a whole if lakhs of migrants from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan are granted citizenship rights.
“The Central government should do away with the Bill and think about protecting the rights of the indigenous people in the state,” Marngar said.
NESO president, Samuel Jyrwa said the state of Meghalaya will face the impact of illegal migrants if the Bill is passed as the state share a long porous border with Bangladesh. According to him, other parts of the NE Region would also be affected.
He urged the organizations to put up a united opposition against the Bill.
