Activist arrested ahead of Amit Shah's visit

Guwahati: Ahead of BJP national president Amit Shah’s visit to the state today, an RTI activist and leader of a farmers’ body, Akhil Gogoi, along with his supporters was taken into custody here for protesting against Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016, a police officer said.

Shah is scheduled to attend the third conclave of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) in the state capital later in the day. Several Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) members, headed by Gogoi, gathered in different parts of city this morning to wave black flags at the BJP leader as a mark of protest over the proposed Bill, the officer said.

The bill, among other things, proposes to reduce the aggregate period of residential qualification for the process of citizenship by naturalisation of the concerned persons from 11 years to six years. The KMSS had been launching widespread campaigns in the regions to garner support against the move.

Gogoi, who was arrested near Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra where Shah is scheduled to attend the meeting, said his supporters had been holding a peaceful protest in the state capital. “It is our democratic right to protest, the police are behaving in a high-handed manner,” he told reporters before boarding the police van.

The KMSS leader also appealed to the people to continue their protest “peacefully” without getting “provoked”. “The Bill is dangerous and harmful to the indigenous people of the state and we will continue our protest to ensure that it is not passed by Parliament,” he added.