Hindu Bengali demands to remove ‘D’ voters tag

GUWAHATI, February 6: Demanding the implementation of the Clause 2 of The Immigrants (Expulsion From Assam) Act, 1950 at the earliest and free those Hindu Bengalis detained in the detention camps, and erase the ‘D’ voters’ tag from their identity at the earliest, the All Assam Bengali Youth Students’ Federation (AABYSF) held a national convention in Guwahati recently.

“In Assam, the Hindu Bengalis have been living with the ‘D’ voters tag since a long time and it is high time now that the tag is removed from us. The ones held in the detention camp must also be released at the earliest. The violent atrocities carried upon the Bengali Hindus in the BTAD must be stopped as well,” said AABYSF president Mahananda Sarkar Dutta through a statement issued to the media. The convention was attended by representatives of each district.

“There are many children as well, who are being detained in these detention camps. The life in these camps are really tough and these children are the worst sufferers. Their lives are getting destroyed gradually,” said AABYSF former president Beni Madhav Roy in the convention.

The convention was also attended by the president of All Koch Rajbongshi Students’ Union (AKRSU) Hiteswar Barman. In his speech Barman said that the government has ignored the problems faced by a number of other communities apart from the Hindu Bengalis of the State.

Montu Dey, president of BTC unit of the AABYSF, in his address to the gathering said that the atrocities carried out on the Bengali Hindus on the name of ‘D’ voters won’t be tolerated further.

President of Justice & Human Rights Forum (Assam) GS Subimal Biswas; Lecturer of RG Baruah College Anjali Sen Gupta; senior journalist Amal Gupta; AABYSF advisor Ranjit Mazumdar, in their addresses to the gathering urged all the representatives of the different groups to come together under one roof and work cohesively in a united way.

It was resolved in the convention by the members that prior to Lok Sabha elections if the Hindu Bengalis are not de-labelled with their ‘D’ voters tag and the ones held at detention camps are not released soon, then they would boycott the LS elections or they would field their own candidate.

“We would also stage protest outside the Assam Legislative Assembly during the next Assembly session,” the statement further added.

On the issue of nomination of Dr Sanjay Sinh by the Congress as their RS candidate from Assam, AABYSF president Mahananda Sarkar Dutta said, “It is a shameful act on the part of the Congress to field candidate from outside the State.

“In solving the problems of the Hindu Bengalis of the State, not only Congress, but also the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is involved in vote bank politics. The Hindu Bengalis are needed only during the time of elections. It is their policy, we condemn this vehemently,” he added.

In the convention, AABYSF former president Sahadeb Das was conferred with the AABYSFJatiya Sanman and journalist Munindra Rai was conferred with the AABYSF Bhasha Sanmanaward.

(Source)The Sentinel — The Largest Media group of North-East India — focused on news publishing. Combined circulation of the group is over 120,000 newspapers per day, making it the largest newspaper group in the region. The Sentinel is the only English daily in the Northeast India with five editions published simultaneously from Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Shillong, Silchar and Itanagar. For all local, national and international news please visit http://www.sentinelassam.com/