TURA: Close to four dozen people from the northern part of the country who tried to enter Tura to undertake petty trade have been pushed back by district authorities after members of NGOs spotted them outside the sumo taxi stand in Chandmari on Friday evening.
The incident comes at a time when states across the north eastern region are opposing the central government’s attempts at pushing through the citizenship Amendment Bill granting citizenship to minority groups who are persecuted in the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh, Pakisthan and Afghanistan.
The large group of men, women and children, including aged persons, had reportedly planned to do brisk business by setting up small stalls to sell balloons and other products by squatting on sidewalks around the town.
West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Ram Singh said that magistrates and police rounded up all those who arrived in the two vehicles and pushed them back.
“They hired two vehicles from Paikan in Assam to come to Tura. Since they did not have any proper documents our magistrates and police sent them back to Paikan the same evening,” said the deputy commissioner.
Surprised and worried by the sudden arrival of such a large group of unidentified people, some locals alerted the chairman of the Garoland state Movement Committee, Nikman Ch Marak, whose group are spearheading the protest against the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
“When we arrived we found a large group of men and women, children and even very old people. On inquiry about their residency they said that they belonged to the state of Rajasthan and had come to Tura to sell balloons and other products after hearing of the upcoming Sobha. They said they planned to sell their wares on the footpaths where they intended to also reside. So we alerted the magistrates and police,” said Nikman Marak.
He also said that some of them displayed their Aadhaar cards to give proof of their identity but it was not accepted.
In the face of widespread protests against the bill across the region, outsiders are often looked upon with suspect, particularly when one is without proper documents.
