In a latest development to the ongoing protests against India’s newly amended Citizenship Act, artists from Assam have come together to raise their voice against the contentious CAA.
Many well known artists from Assam such as vocalist Zubeen Garg who has been at the forefront of anti-CAA protests along with other artists like Barasha Rani Bishaya, Ravi Sarma, Manash Robin and Garima Saikia said that they would continue raising their voice against the CAA and that it should not be considered seditious.
At a press conference on the issue, the artists said that as concerned citizens they had the right to speak up their minds against any legislation which they felt went against the Constitution or its basic principles and that doing so cannot be considered sedition.
In an attempt to make their voice against CAA widely heard and to make people aware on the issue, these artists have started a website dedicated on the theme.
We must note that the government has been showing a heavy handedness as far as dealing with Anti-CAA protestors is concerned and doing so in many cases has been met with severe punishment, police brutality and cases of sedition have also been imposed on many who spoke against the CAA.
Even children who enacted a school play that supposedly had Anti-CAA connotations have been charged with sedition and are being questioned by the police in Karnataka.
In response to the treatment being witnessed by those who have exercised their democratic right to opinion against the CAA, the artists said that protesting was the right of citizens and there was no reason why people should be booked for sedition for exercising this right.
The artists said that no matter which government came to power, they would continue to fight against the CAA and doing so was part of their fundamental right, they also appealed to the government to allow people to put forward their concerns against the CAA and not mistreat them.
They are also asking for the law to be repealed as they feel that that it would endanger the people of Assam along with its cultural heritage.
The artists have launched a website in an effort to make sure that people who are really concerned about Assamese identity can be better informed with information and details on the ongoing protests against the CAA, according to the artists.
The artists said that such a website would also help in making the community more aware of the issue and thereby capable of looking for solutions to this political crisis. The artists said that the digital platform aims to stop the spread of misinformation on anti-CAA protests and provide details on the Act. They say that the Act will put more burden of foreigners on Assam, which it clearly cannot take.
The artists said that the website will have a personal connection with users, who can register themselves online. They also said that this was an attempt to work beyond the stifling of voices.
