Matters India Reporter
Guwahati, December 22, 2019: The Assamese society moaned her new martyrs on December 22nd in Guwahati walking in silent procession. Five protesters have been killed in the state so far as they were expressing their dissent with the Citizens’ Amendment Act. One of them was a 16 year Christian boy, Sam Stafford by name, belonging to the Baptist Church, who happened to be returning home after a visit.
Sam was injured in the incident which took place at Namghar street intersection on Thursday. He later succumbed to bullet injuries at a hospital.
A drummer, he was returning from Latasil playground, where noted singer Zubeen Garg performed in solidarity with protesters against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Earlier, on 12 December 2019, two 17-year-old boys were killed in police firing in Guwahati on Thursday during anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest in the city.
Dipanjal Das a temporary worker at Sainik Bhawan in Guwahati and resident of Chhaygaon was on his way to go home after attending a protest rally at a ground in Latasi where several artists, singers and actors led by Assamese singer Zubeen Garg gathered to protest when he was hit in the Police firing.
Another 17-year-old student also died in police firing in Guwahati on Thursday.
The entire city was shocked at the brutality with which the young boy was shot down. He was known in his school for his good-natured ways and peaceful character. Apparently the armed forces had been given instructions from the beginning to hit hard to strike fear into protestors well before any untoward incident.
“The image of Kashmir is fresh in the mind people,” said the protesters.
All Assam Citizens’ Forum, composed especially of intellectuals and eminent personalities of the entire state, sat in silent protest at Dhulipukuri, Guwahati, against the total disregard that the Centre was showing to the people of Assam as they expressed their concern about the anxiety had for their very survival as a society. Assam Christian Forum too took part in the event.
Many social observers in our times have identified fear of losing one’s identity as one of the chief concerns of diverse communities int the world in modern times. The fear of the Assamese people to be reduced to a minority in their own home land and lose their identity as a people has been the chief anxiety the community during the last few decades.
They refer to the experience of the Tripuris and have found it shocking to notice the inability of the leaders at the Centre to understand their anxiety. The citizens are determined to continue the protest.
Speaking at an inter-faith prayer meeting organized at a traditional Assamese Nam Ghor (prayer-centre) to show respect to the young boy who died, Samuajjal Bhattacharjee, adviser to the NE Student Organization, called for the rejection of any kind of divisive ideology in Assam. He denounced hate-promoting strategies.
Other speakers remembered the earlier heroes who had laid down their lives to preserve the identity and promote the welfare of the Assamese society. They compared the present anxiety to the Mughal attack on Assam centuries ago, and considered the potentates in Delhi today as insensitive. Church leaders present there prayed for peace.
A prayer service was held also at the house of Sam Stafford who had been killed, at which Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil was also present. Family members, while referring to the international attention they we were receiving, expressed a profound sense of loss. But they felt greatly consoled by the sense of solidarity they experienced.