Dibrugarh: Members of the Asomiya Yuva Mancha and Asomiya Mahila Mancha on Thursday took part in a demonstration in front of the historic Talatal Ghar in Sivasagar, raising a set of demands ranging from the complete implementation of the Assam Accord and deportation of illegal Bangladeshi migrants to the introduction of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in the state and justice for the late singer Zubeen Garg.The protest saw a significant turnout of activists from both organisations, who assembled at the iconic Ahom-era monument to press their long-standing demands. Protesters raised slogans and displayed banners, vowing to intensify their agitation if state and central govts failed to act on their grievances.Central to the protest was the demand for full implementation of the Assam Accord of 1985, which was signed between the Govt of India and the All Assam Students’ Union following the historic Assam Movement against illegal immigration. The organisations alleged that decades had passed since the accord was signed, yet its key clauses — particularly those relating to the detection and deportation of foreigners who entered Assam after March 24, 1971 — had not been fully enforced, leaving the indigenous Assamese people vulnerable.“We have reached a tipping point where our cultural and political existence is at stake. The govt must stop playing politics with the Assam Accord and initiate a concrete process to identify and deport every illegal immigrant who entered after the cutoff date,” a senior member of the Asomiya Yuva Mancha said.The protesters also demanded the implementation of the Inner Line Permit system in Assam, similar to the protection extended to several other northeastern states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland. Activists argued that without ILP, unchecked migration and demographic changes would continue to threaten the cultural, linguistic and economic identity of the Assamese people.
