G Plus Vol 7 Issue 9 by G Plus

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Volume 07 | Issue 09 Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019 Price `10

INSIDE

Meet Guwahati’s new Commissioner of Police, Munna Prasad Gupta

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I am one of you, says Sonowal reaching out to CAA protestors

AASU not collecting ‘chanda,’ spontaneous donations coming from people, organisations

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How Assam sparked off an all-India agitation against CAA G Plus Bureau @guwahatiplus

hen Assam rose in protest against the introduction of the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2019 in Parliament in early December, the rest of India was barely awake. Yes, there were

discussions on its implications in WhatsApp groups, in offices and at homes but there wasn’t any organised protest against the Bill unlike in Assam, where people took to the streets with a vengeance. Two days of mayhem followed resulting in 5 deaths in police firings and scores injured. The indomitable spirit of Assamese people for standing up to “injustice” came to the fore and then suddenly the rest of India woke up. Why did the rest of India wake up so late against the Bill which became an Act on 11th December with its passage in Rajya Sabha? To decipher this,

one has to understand the linkage between the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 and the announcement made by the Union Home Minister on updating a National Register for Citizens (NRC) for the whole nation in the near future. And interestingly, Assam would always be cited as an example when this linkage is discussed about - whether in the court rooms or in drawing rooms. Incidentally, Assam is the only state which has at present gone through the exercise of

updating an updated NRC using 25th March, 1971 as the cut-off date to prove citizenship. The draft final list of the exercise published on 31st August, 2019 left out 1.9 million people out of the total applications of approximately 33 million. Since then, the fate of the people left out of the final list has been undecided with the central government renewing its pledge to undertake the exercise afresh along with rest of India and the Supreme Court being petitioned by some organisations from Assam to look at the final list afresh and to give directions to the authorities to remove “anomalies.” Interestingly, the 1.9 million people left out of the draft final list of NRC

include people from all religions and in the absence of official data, it would only be a guestimate as to how many people belong to which religion. However, in terms of the status of the people left out of NRC, it would be interesting to see whether the people belonging to religions other than Islam would be rehabilitated using the CAA provisions, if such people can prove that they were victims of religious persecution in their countries’ of birth and that they have been living in India for a minimum of 5 years and entered India on or before 31st December, 2014. The absence of clarity on this account is one of the reasons for the flare up across the country with respect to CAA today.

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In Conversation Snippets

Assam govt’s review petition against restoring mobile internet services dismissed by Court

he Gauhati High Court, on December 20, dismissed Assam government’s review petition on its order to resume mobile internet. According to reports, Assam government, citing the present law and order situation in the state, filed a review petition before the Court against its order to restore mobile-internet services. It may be mentioned that after nine days of the internet being snapped in Assam following violent protests over CAA, the state government has restored the mobile internet services in Assam at 9:00 AM on December 20.

PM Narendra Modi likely to inaugurate the Khelo India Games in Guwahati

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Prime Minister of India may be present as the inaugurator at the opening ceremony of the Khelo India Games to be held in Guwahati in the presence of Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal and Union MoS (independent charge) for Sports Kiren Rijiju,” Khelo India CEO Avinash Joshi said at a press conference here today. He said the 3rd edition of Khelo India 2020 will kick start on January 10 and will conclude on January 22, where 6,800 athletes, 3,000 supporting staff and 1,500 volunteers will take part. All the 29 states will participate in the Games at 11 venues in Guwahati and more than 10,000 participants will take part in the event. He also informed that 1,500 medals will be up for grabs during the Games. Joshi added that live coverage of the Games will be telecast by Star Sports for 8 to 9 hours each day. The Games will be much better and bigger than the earlier two events, the CEO added.

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

‘City Police taking both preventive and detective measures to tackle rowdies,’ Munna Prasad Gupta Guwahati’s new CoP Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

unna Prasad Gupta, a 1995 batch IPS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre, has replaced IPS officer Deepak Kumar as the new Commissioner of Police, Guwahati. MP Gupta started his tenure as the sixth commissioner of Guwahati on December 13

Any violence in the city will be dealt with very strongly. The citizens have their constitutional rights but they shouldn’t take law into their hands,” Commissioner of Police, MP Gupta. following Kumar, who took over charge as the Commissioner of Police of Guwahati in December last year. G Plus caught up with the Munna Prasad Gupta soon after he took charge as the police commissioner of Guwahati. Here are the excerpts from the interview.

Career as IPS officer

Hailing from Golaghat district of Assam, MP Gupta has served in various capacities in Nalbari, Nagaon, Dhubri, Cachar, Darrang, and Sonipur districts of Assam. He has also worked in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Special Protection Group (SPG). In September 2016, Gupta, who served as DIG, SPG, Cabinet Secretariat, was upgraded to IG rank, SPG. Prior to his posting as Guwahati’s top cop, Gupta was serving as Inspector General in the Special Protection Group (SPG). The SPG is responsible for closely monitoring the security

arrangements for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former prime ministers and members of their immediate families in India and abroad.

Top priority as commissioner

Munna Prasad Gupta was appointed as the new city police commissioner amidst massive protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) when the city’s law and order situation had been deteriorating. Commenting on his top priority as the police chief, MP Gupta told G Plus, “My immediate plan was to deal with the agitations and maintain peace in the city.” “We are committed to maintain peace, prevent crime and maintain law and order situation in Guwahati,” he added stating that in the past couple of days, the riots have come under control and no violence have been reported.

Commissioner of Police Munna Prasad Gupta | G Plus photo The city police first started off with providing security to the protestors but resorted to lathi charge, and rubber bullets firing to tackle the situation more firmly. “Any violence in the city will be dealt with very strongly. The citizens have their constitutional rights but they shouldn’t take law into their hands,” exclaimed MP Gupta.

Role of police during CAA protests

Plans to tackle rowdies

The Guwahati city police have so far arrested 117 people for indulging in unlawful activities during the protests against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Gupta informed G Plus. While the protests in Guwahati began peacefully on December 10 after the passing of the bill in the Lok Sabha, the second day of protests went completely out of the control whereby the city witnessed vandalism and hooliganism of frightening proportions where a great amount of public property was damaged – mainly on the arterial GS Road. Road dividers and railings were damaged besides government buses and other vehicles were set on fire.

“The city police is taking both preventive and detective measures to tackle rowdies and miscreants. We are studying the modus operandi and identifying the culprits. We will arrest them and book them under the law,” MP Gupta told G Plus. He added that police personnel have been deployed in all vulnerable areas, patrolling has been intensified with the aim to increase the visibility of police and technology is being used to act as force multiplier to tackle crimes in the city. It is to be mentioned here that Guwahati has witnessed a drastic increase in crime over the past few years. According to the data provided by the police

commissionerate, as many as 13,757 cases were registered by the city police in 2016. The numbers increased drastically in 2017, which witnessed the registration of 16,038 cases. Further, over 17,000 cases were registered in the year 2018.

Internet ban and its impact

Following incidents of violence during protests against the amended Citizenship Act, mobile and broadband internet services were suspended on the evening of December 11. Speaking to G Plus about the barring of internet services, MP Gupta said, “There are many antisocial elements in the society who misuse social media during times of crisis. These miscreants distribute misinformation and circulate violent videos that have a negative impact on the society. The ban on internet was mainly put in order to curb the spread of fake news and calm down the broiling situation in the state.” He emphasised that the ban was for the greater good of the society as soon after its imposition, the situation in Assam restored to normal. n

In The News

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

Newly created Asom Chatra Samaj meets a premature death in the face of student unity Rangman Das @guwahatiplus

Will the ACJ be used as a tool to fulfil the political aspirations of its creators? Who are behind the creation of this student’s body that seems to be a parallel to the AASU?

new students’ body has been created in Assam. It has been named “Assam Chatra Samaj.” As per its declaration, this body will work as a coordination committee and its main intent is to carry forward the protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) created from the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB). The body

Secretary of Cotton University Students’ Union, former General Secretaries of Cotton University, Pranjal Kalita and Hirokjyoti Bora and Anirban Goswami, General Secretary of Government Law College.

Future course of action

As its first event, the Samaj had planned for an ambitious students’ summit which was held on 18th December at the Gauhati University playground. The fullfledged committee was expected to be created during this summit. The Samaj was also expecting participation from all educational institutions of Assam.

Will the ACJ be used as a tool to fulfil the political aspirations of its creators?

gaining momentum, what was the need for another student body to be floated that could just dilute the situation especially when organisations like Assam JubaChatra Parishad, All Assam Motok Students’ Union and All Assam Silpi Samaj have already extended their support to AASU? These questions indeed create grounds that the new student body could well be used as a base to further political careers of its members.

Cotton University GS issues clarification

Despite his name figuring in the coordination committee, Cotton University General Secretary called up this reporter in the late evening of 16th December to clarify his position vis-à-vis the newly created Asom Chatra Samaj. Bordoloi said, “What is required now is a unified protest

The crowd that assembled at the GU playground for the Chatrakantha summit of ACJ | G Plus photo comprises representatives from the student community of various educational institutions of Assam and the same was declared at the Guwahati Press Club on 15th December last. A section of students of Cotton University, Guwahati have taken the lead to create this new students’ body. The elected convenors of the coordination committee are: Moon Bora, General Secretary of the Post Graduate Students’ Union, Gauhati University, Rahul Chetri, General Secretary of Dibrugarh University Students’ Union, Rahul Bordoloi, General

Is there a third force that is mobilizing students from all over Assam to gravitate towards this newly created student body? Without the internet to help information, this question naturally pops up as to how the new student body managed to get together from all over Assam to announce itself within 16th December. It is also a matter of discussion as to why students who are already affiliated to the existing student organisations should severe such ties and join this newly floated body. When the AASU-led protests are already

by all the students under one umbrella. In this situation, I do subscribe to a new student body at this time. My name has figured erroneously in the coordination committee and I categorically state that I am not part of this new student body.”

Premature closure of the Samaj The Asom Chatra Samaj never took off or was created for the sake of the current momentum that the protests have taken. In the “summit” titled “Chatrakantha” (Voice of the students) held at the Gauhati University Playground on 18t December last, and on the invitation of various intellectuals, students and organisations there, the event saw a decent congregation. However strangely, Pranjal Kalita (former general secretary of Cotton University Students’ Union) and Hirokjyoti Bora, both of whom had taken the initiative to call for the press conference on 15th December at the Guwahati Press Club, were absent at this event. Current general secretary of Cotton University Students’ Union, Rahul Bordoloi and various other

student leaders assembled at the event also expressed ignorance about the objectives of the formation of this new students’ body. All of them unanimously opined that government agents had percolated the student community in an effort to fragment the unity of the students at this critical juncture. They swore to not play into the hands of this conspiracy of the government. This decision of the students was lauded by senior intellectual, Prof Hiren Gohain who was present at the event. The event was also attended by other prominent citizens of Guwahati like general secretary of the ULFA, Anup Chetia, senior journalists Ajit Kumar Bhuyan, Adip Kumar Phukan, Haider Hussain, Manjit Mahanta and senior advocate Nekibur Zaman. n

4 In The News

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

I am one of you, says Sonowal reaching out to CAA protestors In a damage control move, the chief minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal, talking to the media during a press conference organised at his Kharguli residence, called out to the agitators saying he is one of them. G Plus News @guwahatiplus

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I am one of you,” said the chief minister adding that it is he who went to the Supreme Court to scrap the IMDT Act. Sonowal offered his respects to all the peaceful protestors like AASU, AJYCP, Sahitya Sabha, artists of the state and the intellectuals. “I respect all of you,” said the CM. The chief minister said that many MLAs met him to discuss the issues of their constituencies and he assured all of them that not a single Assamese will be affected by the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). “The Assamese language

and culture will be protected at all costs,” claimed the CM adding that there are rumours being spread by groups having vested interest that many foreigners will enter the state because of CAA. “I am assuring you all that after the entire process is over you will believe whatever I am saying today,” he said adding that the rumours are saying that 1 to 1.5 crore people will enter the state which is not true. He said only persecuted Hindus who had already entered the state till 2014 will get citizenship. He said that the Justice Biplab Sharma committee is studying the implementation of Clause 6 (A) of the Assam

CM Sarbananda Sonowal addressing media to offer his assurances | G Plus photo Accord, and three members of AASU are also its members.

As soon as the committee submits its report, the Clause

6(A) of Assam Accord will be implemented to safeguard the culture and language of the Assamese people. He claimed that as a chief minister if he is not able to safeguard the interests of the Assamese people, what is the use of being a chief minister. “I am an Assamese and elected by you all. I assure you that Assamese will be the only language of the state,” said the chief minister. He also said that the violent protests are going on by some vested groups and they will be dealt with according to the law. He claimed that the scenario has improved in the state.

Govt officials in the dark over Indo-Japan summit status G Plus News @guwahatiplus

arious departments were involved in preparations to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe for the IndoJapan summit meeting which was scheduled to be held from 15th to 17th December, 2019 - for the very first time outside the capital city of New Delhi. The event however got postponed because of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) protests in Guwahati. What remains a huge confusion is the status of the Indo-Japan summit. Has it been cancelled? Shifted to some other place? Postponed to a different date? These questions are arising and the officials of different departments responsible for organizing the event are not updated about the status. A highly placed source in the Guwahati Development Department (GDD) talking to

G Plus under condition of

anonymity said, “We did not receive any notification from the government regarding the status of the summit. We did not even receive any information when it was postponed,” adding that initially they only received information from the minutes of the meeting which was held in the state’s chief secretary’s office. The Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) which is responsible for maintaining the heritage DC Bungalow where the prime ministers of both the countries – India and Japanwere expected to stay now are ignorant about the facilities required in the bungalow. The state finance minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, however tweeted that the summit will be organized in Guwahati only because the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is insisting that Guwahati is the best venue for the

Dated photo showing the venue and preparations for the Indo-Japan summit | G Plus photo summit. “The India-Japan summit has been postponed, but it will happen in Guwahati only. Prime Minister has decided that venue will not be shifted from Guwahati, but the date may be changed. PM is very particular that it should happen in Guwahati only,” tweeted Himanta.

The finance minister uses the social media platforms for making various statements, but many government officials do not rely on the social media for updating themselves. Therefore, they are ignorant about the status of the summit. The Japanese PM was scheduled

to arrive in the evening of 15th December where he would have been welcomed with several cultural programs. On 16th December, the dignitaries were set to take a cruise on MV Rudrasingha on the Brahmaputra River, visit the old DC Bungalow which has now been converted into a heritage site and then proceed to Hotel Radisson Blu for the business meet between the leaders. With Guwahati being the epicenter of the protests against the CAA, several thousand people gathered on 12th December and 13th December at Latasil Playground and Chandmari AEI field respectively, protesting the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 becoming a law in the country. Top sources confirmed that the unrest has deferred the visit of the dignitaries until further notice. Although there were rumors that Bhubaneswar could be an alternative venue for the event, those rumors have also been quashed. n

Politicking

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

Rifts in political parties over CAA G Plus News @guwahatiplus

he Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) has not only ignited stirs across Assam and the country but it has also successfully created rifts in many political parties. Talking particularly about Assam, all is not well in the parties like Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). The state BJP leadership was compelled to postpone the booth sammelan which was slated to be organised on 24th December where around 14,000 booth presidents and around 400 mandals were expected to meet. Booth sammelan is considered an important meeting for the party which is organised to understand the issues of the state booth-wise. A highly placed source in the BJP talking to G Plus said that on 19th December there was a booth sammelan preparation meeting organised at the BJP headquarters in Hengrabari which was attended by even BJP members of parliament and state ministers.

“The office does not have the kind of rush it used to have before. Many BJP members in the state are not happy,” said the source. The source also revealed that around 16 BJP MLAs met the chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on 19th December after the booth sammelan preparation meeting, to express their angst regarding the whole issue of CAA. “The chief minister was asked by the MLAs to discuss with the public and the agitating groups to ease the situation,” said the source adding that accordingly a press conference was organised by the chief minister on the morning of 20th December. The source said that the BJP representatives of many constituencies are worried about losing people’s trust in their constituencies if the Assamese people are not given what they are seeking for. Actor turned politician Jatin Bora quit the BJP as soon as the act was passed in the Parliament. Along with BJP, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) is also facing the wrath of its members as the AGP members

are protesting across the state against its leadership which supported the citizenship act in the Parliament. Former chief minister of Assam and an MLA of BJP ally AGP, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta expressed his disappointment over the decision of his party to vote in favour of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (now Act) while it was being passed in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Speaking to media in Guwahati, the former chief minister said, “It was unfortunate that we voted in favour of Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.” Mahanta also told the media that the prime minister and home minister should think about the people of Assam and the act should not be implemented here. “We will not allow this act in Assam,” he told the media. In a face saving act, the AGP, which had supported the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Parliament, has now decided to oppose it. The party has also moved the Supreme Court against the Citizenship

How Assam sparked off an all-India agitation against CAA From Page 01

ssam went for an updated NRC with 1971 as the cut-off year and if and when the nationwide NRC exercise is carried out, the likely cut-off year would be 1951. If CAA is examined in isolation, according to the supporters of the Act, it would not harm the rights of any Indian citizen as such since the Act would grant citizenship to people designated as minorities in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and who belong to the religious groups such as Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism and Parsi. However, people opposing CAA say that the Act violates the basic secular character of the constitution since Muslims have been left out and so, have demanded its repeal. With the Supreme Court being seized of the matter, it would be a long drawn legal battle and the country will have to await the judgement of the Supreme Court. Juxtaposing the same scenario for 130 crore Indians using 1951 as the cut-off year for an updated NRC where many more million names would be struck out since availability of documents would prove to

A scene from the Delhi protests be a herculean task and linking the same with CAA will be the tinderbox. In such a scenario, like in Assam, what fate would await the people who would be struck off the NRC list? Here lies the crux of the story. Provocative statements by politicians are only pushing people to the brink and its time that the government comes out with a clear statement on this account. When India is in the midst of an economic crisis where all indices of development have slowed down, unemployment rising continuously and price rise has been the order of the day, the least the country needs right now is to be divided on religious lines. A government that started on the promising note of “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas” needs to really live up to its promise of development in all spheres.

(Amendment) Act. The decision was taken in a crucial meeting of the AGP. In the meeting, the party decided to oppose the Citizenship Act. The party leaders have also decided to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. The AGP’s decision to oppose the Citizenship (Amendment) Act has come days after the party extended its support in Parliament. Since then, the AGP had been faced with severe backlash back home in Assam which is also witnessing protests and violence since the Bill has been passed. Birendra Prasad Baishya, the lone Rajya Sabha member of the AGP, registered his opposition to the Bill in Rajya Sabha, saying that it would cause grave threat to the language and culture of the people of Assam but later voted in favour of the bill. Baishya’s move irked many indigenous Assamese people who backed AGP only for the ideology of regionalism. The AGP is claiming they will rethink on the alliance with BJP, but the fact remains that they have already supported the BJP in the Parliament

exposing their power hungry motives. Talking about Congress in Assam, there is a divided opinion. The Barak Valley Congress leaders are in favour of the act whereas the leaders of the Brahmaputra Valley are openly opposing it. In the national political scene, parties like AIADMK and JDS are also facing rifts. The support offered by the AIADMK’s Rajya Sabha members to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 (now act), played a pivotal role in the passage of the controversial legislation. AIADMK legislator SR Balasubramoniyan, better known as SRB, who spoke in favour of the Bill in the Upper House, said compulsions of alliance were behind the ruling party’s support for the act. He also said that there was indirect pressure from the BJP which compelled AIADMK to vote in favour of the controversial act. The AIADMK leadership was later criticized by many party members for the decision. There are many other political parties which faced rifts and fissures within themselves over the CAA.

6 Concern Snippets Assam VCs publish joint appeal to student community to resume classes

iven the massive protests still ongoing against the Citizenship Amendment Act all over the state of Assam, all the vice-chancellors of the universities of Assam, through a joint appeal in the form of a large advertisement that was carried in the local dailies on December 19, 2019, appealed to the student community of Assam to resume their regular classes in the interest of their own future and to keep the educational environment of the state peaceful and unblemished. The appeal desired to convey that the students should not lose even a single day of classes to keep the educational environment robust. The message also hoped that students of Assam would match the rest of the world step for step and be at par thereof. Reacting to the advertisement, Advisor of the powerful All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), Samujjal Bhattacharya, in a public speech questioned the stoic silence of the VCs during the recent massive protests that saw three youths (students themselves of various ages) being killed in army and police firings done to quell the uprisings. He also expressed his disappointment at the large amount of money being spent on these massive advertisements.

Lawyer Tarun Gogoi back in court after 36 years to challenge CAA

fter a span of more than three decades, former three-time Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Wednesday, December 18, attended court proceedings as a lawyer as the Supreme Court took up a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Citizenship Amendment Act. The Supreme Court on December 18 issued a notice to Centre on petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the amended Citizenship Act. The apex court has adjourned the matter till January 22 next year. The last time Gogoi was in court to argue a case was in 1983. Gogoi had opposed the Citizenship Act, calling it “discriminatory.” Speaking to a leading national daily, in August this year, Gogoi, while defending the NRC in Assam, said the NRC and Citizenship Amendment Bill are contradictory to each other.

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

Over Rs 1 Cr wasted as rowdies stain newly painted walls & damage railings during protests All efforts of the PWD to beautify Guwahati has gone in vein as protestors have destroyed public properties and stained the newly painted walls. Yet, the administration is set to repair all damages. Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

uwahati, which had recently undergone a creamy yellow makeover, has been stained by miscreants in the name of anti-CAB protests. This is being seen as a blot on the projection of a future Smart City as the administration has incurred over Rs 1 crore worth of loss. As the Assam government was gearing up to host the historic Indo-Japan summit, the state leadership left no stone unturned in terms of beautification of the city. However, all efforts have now gone in vain as protestors went on a defacing spree. “We have so far incurred a loss of approximately Rs 1.16 crores that was spent on preparing for the welcome of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Premier Shinzō Abe,” Naba Konwar, the superintendent of Public Works Department (PWD) informed G Plus. PWD officials were still taking stock of the situation and calculating their losses until the filing of this story. Konwar informed G Plus that the above amount does not take into account the destruction of state-owned machinery and the contractor’s JCB (land excavator) that was set on fire by protestors. “We shall begin working on the drive soon and all damages shall be repaired shortly,” added Konwar who was disappointed by the ruckus created by the public. According to sources, a total of approximately Rs 12 crores was sanctioned for the Indo-Japan meet. While the anti-CAB protests started off peacefully, some protestors took to the streets of Guwahati and went on a rampage to destroy the concrete as well as green themed city’s beautification.

Damaged divider railings on the GS Road near the Assam Secretariat | G Plus photo Just when the Citizenship Amendment Bill was being tabled in the Rajya Sabha, the freshly painted walls of Guwahati were inked with ‘NO CAB’ slogans, which indeed was a massive loss of the state’s treasury. Unknown miscreants not only defaced the freshly painted walls of the city, they also spray-painted the freshly coated dividers, demolished newly put up railings and billboards and uprooted the plastic covering the dividers and streetlights. Large numbers of tyres were burned by protestors in the initial three days of the protests that in turn damaged the road surfaces. “While crossing the Ganeshguri flyover to go towards 6 mile, I saw unknown miscreants uprooting the newly installed LED lights, destroying property made from our own hard-earned money,” said a resident of the city. Video footages have also surfaced wherein protestors can be seen damaging plastic dividers at Paltan Bazar and putting them on fire. Additionally, slogans against the Modi government and

CM Sarbananda Sonowal, PWD minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the Citizenship Amendment Bill could be heard throughout the city. As part of the beautification, prime locations like Ulubari, GS Road, GNB Road, FC Road, and MC Road had been given a makeover. The government buildings and properties along these routes were painted creamy yellow to give a uniform look. Roads had been repaired and polished with new technology called milling and paving; streetlights too got a colourful look with LED strip lights being placed around the poles, ornamental plants were put up and garbage was cleaned as per the massive clean-up and beautification drive. The statue of Lachit Barphukan installed in the middle of the Brahmaputra, too, had been given a fresh makeover. The Brahmaputra riverfront also got a facelift as PM Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were scheduled to go on a cruise on the river. Meanwhile, the boundary walls

of Hotel Vivanta by Taj, where the Japanese Prime Minister was scheduled to halt on the night of December 15, had also been beautifully painted on Indo-Japan themes under the initiative of the Guwahati Smart City Limited. Other places in Guwahati, including the Machkhowa foot over bridge, the boundary walls of the Sukreswar Temple and the chief minister’s official residence were also included in the beautification drive. The India-Japan summit in Guwahati that was scheduled on December 15-16 would have been the first annual summit to be held in the northeast. It was expected to give a major push to the IndiaJapan Act East Forum as Japan plans to invest around Rs 13,000 crores in projects in the eight states of the region. However, the summit has been deferred amidst the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) uproar. Although there were rumours that Bhubaneswar could be an alternative venue for the event, those rumours have also been quashed. n

City

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

Internet suspension a ‘blessing in disguise’ for many Guwahatians Barasha Das @guwahatiplus

he ongoing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) having engulfed the entire state, internet services had remained suspended since last week and were fully restored only on 20th December last. The internet services were initially suspended for 24 hours in ten districts of the state on 11th December but the suspension kept getting extended on a daily basis thereafter. “Internet will be suspended as social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and YouTube etc are likely to be used for spreading of rumours and also for transmission of information like pictures, videos, and texts that have the potential to inflame passions and does exacerbate the law and order situation,” the official notification had stated.

affected causing hardships to cross-sections of people including the banking sector, transportation and the student community. Many flights and trains had to be cancelled and there was a complete halt in the app-based services. However, a section of the population benefitted from this move as internet suspension had forced them to resort to other daily activities to keep themselves occupied. G Plus asked the people of the city how the non availability of internet had altered their daily lives. While the initial response of the working class was that of anger and dissatisfaction, some indeed opened up about how this had turned to be a “blessing in disguise.” Angshuman Das, a MBA student said, “I have now realised how addicted we have become to the internet. Initially it was complete boredom as we could not surf the social networking

Representative Image The government claimed to have adopted this measure of internet blackout in the backdrop of threat to the state’s tranquillity and security, with neighbouring China supporting the move. The People’s Daily Online said in an article, “The internet shutdown in India has once again proved that the necessary regulation of the internet is a reasonable choice of sovereign countries based on national interests and a natural extension of national sovereignty in cyber-space.” Major outrage was expressed on various social media platforms from across the country. Daily life was adversely

sites, watch movies or play video games. But I have taken more interest in current affairs as the only source of entertainment is the TV, and given the present scenario the best we could do was turn on the news channels.” Another student Harsha Dewan, pursuing graduation said, “I must say I have never watched the news and read the newspaper so sincerely. I have caught up a lot on my Assamese vocabulary as the Assamese news channels are regularly being watched for updates on the protest.” Many said that they caught up with their neighbours

like the old days and played various games especially cricket, badminton reliving their childhood days. The streets of Guwahati were in fact seen to have been filled with many playing “galli-cricket.” A homemaker from the city, Rimjim Borah, has indeed thanked the internet suspension as her daughter went out to play rather than remain coiled up on

the bed with the smartphone. She further said, “Even I could make up time for myself to regain the old habit of reading books.” Some youths of the city were also of the opinion that the suspension of the internet has in a way helped the protest as most of them earlier hadn’t taken much interest on the issue or would not have bothered

to come out on the streets protesting against CAA. Internet suspension for the last 9 days had altered the daily lives of Guwahatians in immense ways. While the working class saw loses and pending work load, the youth and the elderly enjoyed some time together even amidst the hardship of bandhs and curfew nights. n

8 In The News

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

AASU not collecting ‘chanda,’ spontaneous donations coming from people, organisations Rangman Das @guwahatiplus

How does AASU propose to fight the expensive legal battle? RSS alleges that AASU is being helped by some its old members who are now part of BJP Citizens express spontaneous willingness to help in the agitation to ‘save’ the motherland What does the AASU leadership say?

he contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) which has turned the state of Assam into a topsyturvy situation is now an Act. The situation today is such that besides Assamese people who are the residents of the state, the Diaspora across the world has been part of the protests. Moreover, the Supreme Court of India (SC) is saddled with a number of petitions filed by more than 15 parties-individualsorganisations. These petitions, in the meantime, have been heard in the Supreme Court on 15th December last itself. The apex court has asked the government to clearly state the objectives of bringing the contentious bill into a law and why the same law should not be invalidated. On 22nd January next, the SC is set to renew its hearing of the 59 petitions filed including the petitions of the All

Assam Students’ Union (AASU) which is at the forefront of the agitation.

How does AASU propose to fight the expensive legal battle?

A case filed by the Asom Sanmilita Mahasangha has been hanging in the SC since 2018. The yet unsettled case continues to be heard by the SC bench. The latest decision of AASU to be part of the agitation against the CAA through a legal process has added momentum to the movement against the contentious Act. But the point of concern is where will the money come from to fund the AASU’s legal battle and its other related organisational requirements? Other than seeking public favours, are there any other options of the AASU? As per news coming in from upper Assam, to fund this legal battle and other related expenses, district units and the AASU including the Dibrugarh unit has already started a fundmobilizing campaign. The legal battle would, after all, entail the AASU leadership to frequently travel to New Delhi for the SC hearings among many other activities that would require healthy funds.

Allegations by RSS that AASU is being helped by some its old members who are now part of BJP

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) recently had a highlevel meeting at its northeast headquarters located at Keshav

Dham. The meeting was specifically organised to discuss matters related to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The meeting brought into focus an important issue. There was a serious discussion on the fact that a few former AASU members who are now part of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been secretly helping the students’ organisation. Whether the same help is by way of money or otherwise is yet not clear. The RSS has sought an explanation in this regard from the concerned people.

Citizens express spontaneous willingness to help in the agitation to ‘save’ the motherland

Pranjit Bora, a senior citizen and president of the Jansimolu Nagarik Manch, who is very closely associated with the ongoing protests against CAA said, “We are happy if the AASU has commenced on a fundraising drive for the agitation. We will be glad to contribute

File photo of AASU activists taking part in a rally spontaneously to the cause. Our opinion is that before the AASU comes to us, we should all spontaneously reach out to them with our contributions.” At the same time, the Organisational President of the city unit of Asom Jatiyatabadi Juba Chatra Parishad, Diganta Deka said, “The greater Assamese society has always contributed handsomely for the cause of the motherland and will continue to do in the future. There is no doubt about that.”

What does the AASU leadership say?

In view of the news that AASU cadres had already started a fund-raising campaign in upper Assam, we sought a clarification or confirmation from the

AASU General Secretary, Lurin Jyoti Gogoi. Gogoi told this correspondent, “We, from our side, have not started any collection or fund-raising drive. This is a rumour and is completely false. The fact is that people from various places, especially from Dibrugarh, Sivasagar and Golaghat have spontaneously come forward with donations. SSeveral organisations from Golaghat itself have contributed to the AASU and sum of money amounting to Rs. 6.5 lakhs. The bar association of Golaghat has contributed Rs. 50,000. On the other hand, the Assam College Teachers’ Association has contributed Rs. 1.5. lakhs for the cause. The Marwari Yuva Manch and Bhojpuri Yuva Manch have contributed Rs. 1 lakh and Rs. 50,000 respectively.”

Weather report for the week Guwahati

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

Partly Cloudy

Sunny

Partly Cloudy

23°14° C

23°13° C

22°13° C

SATURDAY Partly Cloudy

22°14° C

In The News

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

CAA Row: Amid protests various government exams postponed in Assam Amar Jyoti Das @guwahatiplus

he continuing anti-CAA protests in the state have adversely affected the education sector in Assam, with many major online entrance examinations being postponed and universities across the state cancelling their scheduled examinations for an indefinite period. The secondary Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET), which was scheduled to be held on December 22, has been postponed to January 19, 2020. Around 56,000 candidates are registered to appear in the secondary TET. As per reports, the preparedness of TET was hampered to a great extent because of the internet shutdown since December 11. The CSIR-NET exam, which was scheduled to take place on December 15 in Assam and Meghalaya, has been postponed until further notice. The exam is conducted in online mode for Life science, Earth science, Mathematical, Chemical and Physical Science subjects. The minimum marks to qualify for the exam is 33% for General, OBC and EWS category candidates and 25% for SC/ ST and PwD candidates.

A shot from a recent protests that has derailed the examination process | G Plus photo About 6,980 candidates have registered for CSIR-UGC NET from Assam. In all, there are 20 centres spread across Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Guwahati, Silchar, Sivasagar and Tezpur. Gauhati University and Dibrugarh University have postponed their examinations indefinitely, as have several schools in Guwahati and other towns in the state.

The Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI) Exam 2019 has been cancelled on December 12, in Guwahati and Agartala due to the on-going protests against CAA. The exams were scheduled to take place in centres located at Agartala, Guwahati, Shillong, and Duliajan. The institute will publish a detailed notification with the new exam dates.

The exam is currently being held for the Foundation, Intermediate and Final Courses. The exam is held in offline or pen and paper mode by the institute. Meanwhile, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has extended the last date to apply for CBSE recruitment 2019. All the eligible candidates can apply for a total of 357 vacancies on the official website.

The recruitment is being held for the posts of Assistant Secretary, Assistant Secretary (IT), Analyst (IT), Junior Hindi Translator, Senior Assistant, Stenographer, Accountant, Junior Assistant and Junior Accountant. As per the official notice, all the candidates can apply for CBSE Recruitment 2019 till December 23. Guwahati Medical College (GMC) and the National Board of Examinations (NBE) have postponed the DNB examination. As per the schedule announced earlier, the DNB Final Exam 2019 was scheduled to be held on 13th, 14th and 15th December 2019 in the state. However, the same has been postponed for Guwahati centre now, keeping in mind the safety of the candidates or students. The GMC and NBE will soon announce a revised schedule for the DNB Final Exam for Guwahati Centre. The screening test (OMR-based) for the posts of assistant engineers (civil) in the Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) has been postponed. In a notification on Monday, December 17, the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) announced that the screening test scheduled for December 22 has been postponed until further notification.

Guwahati protests leave fresh commodity market in tatters Vendors keen to offload leftover stock but vegetables and fruits unfit for consumption Barasha Das @guwahatiplus

he after-effects of any agitation leave behind some trails of destruction. The AntiCAA protests which rocked Guwahati last week has simmered down with general life limping back to normalcy and daily life starting to roll out again. With the entire state being engulfed by the protest and curfew being imposed in various districts since last week the green groceries market has been adversely affected. G Plus took a stock of prices and quality of vegetables in the

oldest Fancy Bazar GMC market post the bandh. Blockage of road and rail traffic has stopped the regular supply of fresh fruits and vegetables in the last few days especially from Kharupetia, Dalgaon and Barpeta Road. Vendors of the Fancy Bazar GMC wholesale market said that the market remained completely closed for the first two to three days. Now with the situation returning to normal the incoming supplies are not the freshest but are the ones those had been stocked up during the bandh. Most of these are rotten and unfit for consumption. One vegetable vendor, Debasish Ghosh, showing the quality of the ginger he was

selling said, “The ginger is not of perfect quality so he had to sell the product at Rs. 40 per kg instead of the usual Rs. 50, hence incurring a loss of Rs. 10 per kg.” He further said, “Most fruits and vegetables that could not be sold were given away to be consumed by the stray cattle.” Shopkeepers claim that everyone needs to recover the losses incurred over the last few days. The market that was left in tatters has to recover the incurred losses and vendors as well as the supply chain distributors are keen to offload the leftovers. What remains of the stocked up vegetables are being sold at a lower rate given the deteriorated quality of the goods.

People flocking a vegetable market during a recent curfew relaxation | G Plus photo

10 Concern

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

Anti-CAA throws tourist season out of gear, cancellations galore Atiqul Habib @guwahatiplus

ith the migratory birds of Serbia and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) hitting the state of Assam at the same time, the tourism industry has taken a massive beating in the wake of

protests and violence witnessed over the last few days. Many prospective domestic and foreign tourists have cancelled their bookings to visit Assam and other parts of the northeastern region. Speaking to G Plus, Bhaskar Phukan, Managing Director (MD) of Assam Tourism Development Corporation, he said that many tourists who had already prebooked their visits to Assam are

now cancelling out due to the CAA protests across Assam. “As you know the state government has already issued phone numbers as helplines for the tourists who have come to Assam and are stuck in the ongoing protests. We were able to help quite a few tourists to connect back to their families,” said Bhaskar Phukan. It is to be mentioned that a

total of 4,504 foreign tourists and around 4.25 lakh domestic tourists had visited the state during the month of December 2018. With lesser tourists, even the tour operators in and around the wildlife sanctuaries of Assam have also seen a dip in their business because of the protests. Ratul Das, president of the Greater Guwahati Tour Operator

Drivers’ Association, speaking to media, said that tour operators alone in Guwahati had faced a loss of Rs 5 crores in the last seven days during the violent protests. It is to be mentioned that from capital city New Delhi to commercial hub Mumbai and India’s Silicon Valley Bengaluru, along with Assam much of India is protesting against the newly passed Act.

Foreign countries issue travel advisory for citizens visiting India Several countries have issued travel advisory for India amid protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that is spreading across the major cities of the country. The UAE embassy in New Delhi recently issued a travel advisory for its citizens who are heading or are in India. This advisory comes in the wake of ongoing protests that are taking place in several parts of the country. The United States government has also issued advisory and warned its citizens against visiting the northeastern states of India because of the protests over CAA. After the US, Canada has

also asked its citizens to avoid “non-essential travel” to northeast India. As per the travel advisory issued by the Canadian embassy, citizens are advised to avoid travelling to Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram. The embassy also mentioned that mobile and internet communications have been temporarily suspended and that transport facilities have also been affected in several parts of the northeast region. The Russian government too wrote on Twitter and stated that, “Russian nationals currently in India or planning to visit the country soon are advised

to be vigilant and cautious, avoid crowds and refrain from visiting areas controlled by protestors.” Meanwhile the tour operators of Assam are set to write to the Ministry of Tourism urging the ministry to assure the people of the country and abroad that Assam is safe for travel. n

Assam Police asks netizens to use social media wisely

op cop GP Singh has asked the netizens to be wise in writing, forwarding posts on various social media platforms amidst the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) row after the mobile internet services was restored. It is to be mentioned that after nine days the internet was snapped in Assam following violent protests over CAA, the state government have restored the mobile internet services in Assam at 9:00 AM on December 20. GP Singh, Additional Director General Police (Law and Order), took to Twitter and wrote, “Friends, the mobile internet services are being restored to

enable people to go about life in a normal manner. Please be wise in writing, forwarding posts on various social media platforms. Let’s build a stronger Assam together. Looking forward to continued support.” Earlier today, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, in a press conference from his Kharguli residence, said that his government at any cost will protect the land, culture and

A devastated street of Guwahati: Not a great time for tourism | G Plus photo

Assam govt ‘provides’ financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each to 2,000 artists

T language of the state. Sonowal also said that the violent protests are going on by some vested groups and they will be dealt according to the law.

o promote Assam’s rich folk traditions and mobile theatre industry, the state government has decided to provide financial assistance to various artists and technicians. Reportedly, the Assam government has decided to provide one-time financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each to 2,000 artists and technicians. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Twitter wrote, “To promote and keep alive Assam’s rich

folk traditions & Mobile Theatre industry, we have decided to provide one-time financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each to 2,000 artists and technicians. Cultural Dept has been directed to implement the scheme at the earliest.”

News This Week

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

A quick round up of the news that mattered during the past week

Ram temple to be built in Ayodhya within 4 months: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on December 16, stated that a sky-touching Ram Temple would come up in Ayodhya within four months which Indians from all over the world have been demanding for 100 years. Shah accused the Congress of trying to block the Ram Temple and also stalling the case in courts. The Congress could “neither keep the country safe, nor could it respect the emotions of its citizen,” said Shah. In its verdict on November 9 the Supreme Court handed the 2.77 acre land for a Ram Temple and ordered that five acres of land at a prominent site be assigned for a mosque.

SC extends date for hearing of petitions against Citizenship Act

The Supreme Court, on December 18, issued a notice to the Centre on petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the amended Citizenship Amendment Act. The apex court has adjourned the matter till January 22 next year. It is to be mentioned that the top court was hearing pleas by the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha, among others. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that there was no question of rolling back the law.

Centre firm on Citizenship Act implementation, won’t roll back: Amit Shah

Amid protests across Assam against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on December 17, asserted that there was no question of going back on its implementation. The minister said that there was nothing against minorities in the CAA and it has received Presidential approval. “There is no going back on Citizenship Act, the government is firm like a rock on its implementation,” said Shah amid demand by opposition parties for withdrawal of what they called an “unconstitutional and divisive” law.

Protests against CAA intensifies in Delhi; voice calls, internet suspended

Mobile services including calls, SMS and internet have been suspended in parts of Delhi as protests against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act have intensified. “In view of the prevailing law and order situation, it is hereby directed that communication of all types i.e. voice, SMS and internet, be halted from 0900 hours to 1300 hours in Cell IDs/BTS (base transceiver stations) covering the North and Central districts, Mandi House, Seelampur, Jaffarbad, Mustafabad, Jamia Nagar, Shaeen Bagh and Bawana areas for 19-12-2019,” said the order issued by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, New Delhi.

17 year old panipuri seller bought for Rs 2.4 crore in IPL

During the IPL 2020 auction in Kolkata on December 19, Rajasthan Royals bought Yashasvi Jaiswal for Rs 2.40 crore. Bollywood actress and Kings XI Punjab co-owner Preity Zinta, took to Twitter to praise IPL. She tweeted, “17 old Yashasvi Jaiswal used to sell panipuris on the streets for a living 2 years ago. Today this talented cricketer is bought by a franchise in the #IPL2020Auction for 2.40 crores. Fantastic & inspirational story #IPL really is a place where dreams come true#ting.” Jaiswal’s base price was Rs 20 lakhs. Mumbai Indians started a bidding war which was later won by Rajasthan Royals.

CAA Row: Pakistan’s Hindu community rejects Indian citizenship proposal

Pakistan’s minority Hindu community has rejected India’s offer to grant them citizenship under Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). “Pakistan’s Hindu community unanimously rejects this bill, which is tantamount to dividing India on communal lines,” said Raja Asar Manglani, patron of the Pakistan Hindu Council. CAA will grant rights to offer Indian citizenship rights to Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Parsi and Jain communities migrating from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The decision has received a huge backlash from the people, especially in Assam. “This is a unanimous message from Pakistan’s entire Hindu community to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A true Hindu will never support this legislation,” Manglani said. He added that the law has violated India’s own constitution.

Shiv Sena leader Shekhar Jadhav shot in Mumbai

Anand Mahindra to step down as Mahindra Chairman from April 1, 2020

On December 19, an unidentified person opened fire on Shiv Sena leader Shekhar Jadhav. The incident took place in Mumbai’s Vikhroli area near Sai Mandir around 8 am. Jadhav was later rushed to Godrej Hospital, Vikhroli for treatment. He sustained injuries on his hand during the attack. As per reports, the gunman was caught by the residents of the area and they later handed him over to the police. The motive behind the attack is still not clear. An investigation is currently underway.

According to a statement released by Mahindra, over the next fifteen months, a number of key leaders at Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. will be retiring. “In light of that the Board has completed a structured and rigorous review of top management succession...With effect from 1st April 2020, Mr. Anand Mahindra will handle the role of Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd,” the statement said. Further he will also serve as a mentor and will be available to provide feedback and counsel to the Managing Director.

Pat Cummins becomes the most sought player at IPL 2019 auction

Patrick James Cummins, Australian fast bowler, was the most demanded player at the IPL 2020 auction. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Delhi Capitals both raised their stake before Kolkata Knight Riders won the bid. Cummins has become the most expensive player in the IPL auction 2019 by hitting Rs. 15.5 crores. In a video posted on KKR’s Twitter handle, Cummins said, “Absolutely pumped to be back on board ... Can’t wait to get over there.” It is to be mentioned that Yuvraj Singh still holds the record for being the most expensive IPL player. In 2015, RCB had paid Rs 16 crores for Yuvraj Singh.

Unnao Rape Case: Ex BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar slapped with life imprisonment

On December 20, a Delhi court sentenced ex-BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar with life imprisonment in the 2017 Unnao rape case. He has been also fined Rs 25 lakhs which has to be paid within a month, imposed District Judge Dharmesh Sharma. Sengar who is a four-time BJP MLA from Bangermau in Unnao district, was expelled from the party in August 2019. The judge said, “This court does not find any mitigating circumstance. Sengar was public servant and betrayed people’s faith.” Earlier this month, the victim was set on fire by five men outside her village while she was headed to a local court for hearing in the rape case. She sustained 90 per cent burn injuries all over her body.

12 In The News

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

Citizenship Amendment Act 2019: A ready reckoner G Plus News @guwahatiplus

midst protests, curfews and several outbreaks in the country the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) now Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) was passed by the Parliament and became a law on December 12, 2019. But what is CAB and why is it creating a chaos in India/Assam? Here is all you need to know about CAB. 1. What is the Citizenship (Amendment) Act? The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) was brought in the Parliament to amend the Citizenship Act of 1955. It was passed in both the houses of Parliament. After receiving the President’s assent the bill is now called Citizenship Amendment Act 2019. The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 (CAB) seeks to amend the Citizenship Act 1955 by making Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan become eligible for Indian citizenship provided such people had entered the country before December 31, 2014. The Bill, however, does not talk about other

Indian minority communities, particularly Muslims. The Bill also proposes to relax the norms of such people in applying for citizenship. The 11 year period of residency in India is a mandatory requirement under normal citizenship rules. For such people as earlier mentioned and belonging to the six religious communities, the same will be relaxed so that they can apply for citizenship after just six years of residency in India. It is to be noted that the Citizenship Act of 1955 defines illegal migrants as foreigners who come to India without valid travel documents or those who stay in the country even after their permitted time period. The 1955 Act prohibits illegal migrants from acquiring Indian citizenship. The original Act allows a person to apply for citizenship if they have resided in India for 12 months immediately preceding the application for citizenship and for 11 of the previous 14 years prior to the 12-month period. The Citizenship Amendment Bill was tabled in Lok Sabha on 9th December and it was passed at midnight. The bill was later passed in the Rajya Sabha on 11th December. The Bill became the Citizenship Amendment Act and law on 13th December after receiving the President’s assent.

CAB, now CAA, does not apply to tribal areas of Tripura, Mizoram, Assam and Meghalaya because these areas are included in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. 2. Why are the people of Assam protesting against CAB? CAB, now CAA, which has been welcomed by the majority of India, is however facing backlash in several parts of the country. Protesters against CAA have emerged in several parts of the country but they differ from each other. The protesters from the northeast- Assam are against CAA because they fear that if the act is implemented it will endanger their linguistic and demographic exclusivity. CAA also invalidates the 34 year old Assam Accord which was the culmination of a 6 year long agitation from 1979 to 1985, that left 855 dead and many injured.

Explanatory Image The Assam Accord had two significant clauses - 5 & 6. Clause 5 specifically pertained to detection, deletion and deportation of illegal migrants present on Assamese soil. Clause 6 pertained to the safeguard of Assamese identity, culture and literature against the onslaught of this illegal infiltration. CAA, if implemented, will make the Assam Accord null and void. It is to be noted that CAA does not apply to tribal areas of Tripura, Mizoram, Assam and Meghalaya because of these

states being included in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. The Inner Line Permit system also exempts Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur from implementation of CAA. On the other hand, protesters from several parts of the country like Delhi, West Bengal, Kerala etc are against CAA because it excludes Muslims, making the act unconstitutional. Protesters claim that the act violates Article 14 of the constitution which allows the fundamental right to equality to all persons.

What is the main essence of the Assam Accord? The Assam Accord is a Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) signed by the All Assam Student’s Union (AASU) and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the presence of the then Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi on August 15, 1985. On behalf of AASU the accord was signed by its then president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and general secretary Bhrigu Kumar Phukan, and on behalf of the central government it was signed by the then Union Home Secretary, RD Pradhan. Clause 5 of the accord talks about the foreigner issue while Clause 6 of the Assam Accord asserts about constitutional safeguards for the Assamese people.

Clause 5 of Assam Accord lays out the following points in relation to the Foreigners Issue:

ÔÔ 5.1 For purposes of detection and deletion of foreigners, 1.1.1966 shall be the base date and year. ÔÔ 5.2 All persons who came to Assam prior to 1.1.1966, including those amongst them whose name appeared on the electoral rolls used in 1967 elections, shall be regularized. ÔÔ 5.3 Foreigners who came to Assam after 1.1.1966 (inclusive) and up to 24th March, 1971, shall be detected in accordance with the provisions of the Foreigners’ Act, 1946 and the Foreigners’ (Tribunals) Order 1964. ÔÔ 5.4 Names of foreigners so detected will be deleted from the electoral rolls in force. Such persons will be required to register themselves before the

Registration Officers of the respective districts in accordance with the provisions of the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939 and the Registration of Foreigners Rules, 1939.

to Assam on or after March 25, 1971 shall continue to be detected, deleted and expelled in accordance with law. Immediate and practical steps shall be taken to expel such foreigners.

ÔÔ 5.5 For this purpose, Government of India will undertake suitable strengthening of the governmental machinery.

ÔÔ 5.9 The Government will give due consideration to certain difficulties expressed by the AASU/ AAGSP regarding the implementation of the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act, 1983.

ÔÔ 5.6 On the expiry of a period of ten years following the date of detection, the names of all such persons which have been deleted from the electoral rolls shall be restored. ÔÔ 5.7 All persons who were expelled, earlier, but have since re-entered illegally into Assam, shall be expelled. ÔÔ 5.8

Foreigners who came

Clause 6 states that the, “Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate, shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.” It is to be noted that since 1985, a committee was formed for the first time in January

2019 to implement the Clause 6 of the Assam Accord by the BJP government. A ninemember panel was set up for its implementation, but it was aborted after its fifth member – former Union tourism secretary MP Bezbaruah refused to be part of the panel in the wake of the widespread protest against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016. Later in July 2019, a 13-member highlevel committee comprising eminent personalities of Assam was formed to examine the effectiveness of actions taken since 1985 to implement Clause 6 of the Assam Accord. Speaking about the matter of Clause 6, on December 14, 2019 Sarbananda Sonowal tweeted, “I and my Cabinet colleagues met members of the Clause 6 committee and urged them to complete their report as soon as possible. Chairman of the committee assured that they will submit the report within a month.” n

In The News

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

Assam leads way in India’s protest against CAA G Plus News @guwahatiplus

s the violent upsurge gave way to the sweet musical notes, the antiCAA protests which found its origins in the land of the mighty Brahmaputra is now spreading its wings across the country. Out of the 29 states, 22 have come under the grip of protests. Internet ban has become the

The protests against the CAA have started from Assam in India and now the entire country has united for the purpose,” senior journalist and activist Manjit Mahanta. flavour of the season for the administration to quell the raging protests which is spreading like wildfire. In Assam however, after the initial violent sparks, the protests have mellowed down with the Satyagrah movement launched by influential All Assam Students’ Union (AASU). “The protests against the CAA have started from Assam in India and now the entire country has united for the purpose,” said senior journalist and activist Manjit Mahanta adding that Assamese people protested against the act to safeguard the constitution of the country. “We have always protested against the illegal migrants to safeguard the security, democracy and secularism of the country. Yes we have our own reasons but the Assamese people have always fought to safeguard the constitution of the country,” expressed Mahanta adding that around 900 people have lost their lives to safeguard the constitution. Protests raged against the Citizenship Amendment Act in multiple cities on Thursday with students, activists and others defying prohibitory orders to voice their dissent. Violence was reported from parts of West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh (UP), Bihar, Delhi, Kerala and Karnataka. Hundreds of protesters across the country were detained. Protests against the CAA have submerged West Bengal and in some areas violent protests were reported.

ANTI-CAA, NRC STIR INTENSIFIES

LADAKH JAMMU & KASHMIR HIMACHAL PRADESH

JAMMU

PUNJAB

SHIMLA

CHANDIGARH

DEHRADUN

UTTARAKHAND

PATIALA

HARIDWAR

DELHI

MEERUT SHAMBHAL ,AGRA

RAJASTHAN

Bihar witnessed large scale disruption of traffic, vandalism and arson on account of a statewide shutdown called by left parties in protest against CAA. Many small political parties took active part in the dawn to dusk protest against CAA in Bihar. Talking about Delhi, a large number of protestors gathered at the Jantar Mantar to protest

charged when they started the protest. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said on Thursday that his government will take revenge on those involved in the violence over the amended citizenship act by auctioning their property to compensate for the losses. Police action on violent

Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, went a step further by demanding for the intervention of the United Nations Organisation (UNO) on the issue concerning the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). A strong critic of CAA and NRC, Banerjee, while addressing a rally against CAA, challenged the Centre to call for the UN-monitored

UTTAR PRADESH

PRAYAGRAJ

DHEMAJI DIBRUGARH

GANGTOK

LUCKNOW

JAIPUR

TINSUKIA

SIKKIM

VARANASI

ASSAM

MUZZAFARPUR ARA PATNA BIHAR

GUWAHATI

MEGHALAYA SHILLONG

IMPHAL

MANIPUR

GUJARAT

AHMEDABAD

INDORE

NASHIK MUMBAI

BHOPAL

WEST BENGAL

MADHYA PRADESH

MAHARASHTRA

LATUR OSMANABAD

RATNAGIRI

KALABURAGI GADAG HUBBALLI BALLARI

KARNATAKA

NAGPUR

SAMBALPUR

ODISHA

BHUBANESHWAR

HYDERABAD

VIJAYAWARA

ANDHRA PRADESH

CHENNAI

MYSURU

KERALA

referendum on the matter and if the BJP loses the mass vote then it should step down from the government. Anti-citizenship law protestors went berserk in parts of Lucknow hurling stones and damaging police outposts and a number of vehicles mainly in the old city areas of the Uttar Pradesh capital. Around 20 people were taken into custody. The protestors in other parts of Lucknow were lathi-

MIZORAM

TELANGANA

HASSAN MANGALURU

AIZAWL

HOWRAH KOLKATA

AURANGABAD

PUNE

AGARTALA

TRIPURA

TAMIL NADU

mobs protesting against CAA and proposed national NRC claimed two lives on Thursday in Mangaluru, Karnataka. The central business district of the coastal city turned into a war zone with police resorting to multiple tactics of crowd control including firing, preceded by caning and use of tear gas after a mob gathered to protest the CAA defying section 144 which was imposed for 48 hours from Thursday.

Cities Where Protests Occurred

against CAA after they were not allowed to demonstrate near the Red Fort and Mandi House where prohibitory orders have been imposed. Delhi is witnessing protests from various sections especially by the students of Jamia Milia Islamiya University. Thousands of protestors took to the streets of the financial capital against the Citizenship Act on Thursday, converging at

the August Kranti Maidan, where Mahatma Gandhi in 1942 told the British to quit India. The gathered crowd included political parties, students and many Bollywood personalities. Protests were also reported in states like Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and a few more. As the protest is engulfing the entire country, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is in power in the centre and many states is trying to ease the situation with various strategies. The BJP on Thursday (19th December) released an archived footage of Rajya Sabha proceedings in 2003, where former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is seen to be making an appeal for the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. Even in Assam, the chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal organized a press conference on Friday promising that the culture, land and language of Assamese people will not be affected by the new law. The chief minister also claimed that invitation will be sent to the sections protesting against the citizenship act and they will be explained about the same. Similarly, the BJP politicos are organizing press conferences across the country trying to ease the situation. Along with the protests there is also a political battle going on in the country where politicos from opposition parties are leaving no stone unturned to slam the government on the act. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi felt that undeclared emergency has been imposed in the country and the BJP government has become “adamkhor (man-eater).” Congress leader P Chidambaram questioned why internet had been shut and asked whether all Delhi residents have become “urban naxals.” CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said that the manner in which the democratic protests was dealt with was unacceptable. Before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Assam had witnessed protests by student unions and political parties, but this is the first time that the government had to ban the internet for more than a week, impose curfew for a few days and even resort to lathicharge and firing to control the protests. Now internet is disconnected in Delhi, Meghalaya, parts of Uttar Pradesh and many other cities which explains that the protest which started in Assam has engulfed the entire country.

14 G Talk E

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019 T

A chastened government?

olded hands while seeking votes and an arrogant attitude thereafter do not go hand in hand although, in these complex times, they seem to be two sides of the same coin. In a spectacularly poor public relations exercise coupled with a strangely arrogant attitude, the government of India, through its various representatives from top to bottom, seems to have thrown the country into a situation of heartburn that has made our very existence uncomfortable. Perhaps the huge mandate Prime Minister Modi got in the last elections bolstered this arrogance to the extent that complacency and a sense of taking matters for granted simply overcame all sensibilities. But what sparked off a movement against this arrogance in remote Assam which is often not given its due importance when it comes to the governance of the country, spread like wildfire to the rest of country. The reasons for these protests elsewhere in India differed greatly from the reasons of the protests in Assam but from all appearances, the factor remained the same: the factor of arrogant attitude that was difficult to digest. Today, it is the Supreme Court of India that has sought some clarity and reasoning from the government about the

objectives of the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill that was rushed through the Parliament to be made into an Act and law in the country. Such clarity was actually required and could have been offered in a far more soothing manner minus any arrogance whatsoever had the government had the good foresight. And it should have been done before the Bill was placed in Parliament. After all, the original Bill was floated in 2016 and the government had ample time to take advantage of the goodwill that it enjoyed. Assam itself sent 9 of its 14 MPs from the BJP in the 2019 elections. Such was the love the state had for the party. Unfortunately, the BJP decided to bulldoze its agendum; the speeches by its leaders reeked of arrogance and the ability of the Assamese people to agitate was unnecessarily undermined. The popularity of the BJP and the confidence it commands is at its lowest today and all assurances given by CM Sonowal in his latest media meet are like that suspicious post-dated cheque which is not trusty enough to be accepted especially when offered by someone who is being perceived to have broken a great trust. Swapnil Bharali (Editor) @swapnilbharali

Do we really have the luxury of being apolitical? In a country that is not safe for its own people, the government wants to welcome foreigners. The BJP government was brought to power with a thumping majority because people wanted an empowered government, one that didn’t struggle to take decisions; other parties would just let it ‘hang.’ However, the BJP government has ensured that this is the last time that they or any party comes to power with such a majority. As for the internet blackout, the brazen abuse of power to suppress the voices of lakhs in Assam alone and then doing the same elsewhere in India is simply, despotic. Assam’s fight is not for anything but the preservation of its cultural identity. The people of Assam have already accepted lakhs of immigrants with the Assam Accord and governments thereafter have let immigrants from neighbouring countries come in unabated, given them documents, facilities and subsidies such that they have eaten into the indigenous people’s lands, resources, subsidies, jobs etc. Moreover, the government also successfully trampled the Assam Accord and executed the massively unpopular and ‘unsuccessful’ NRC exercise. Amidst the complications of the Citizenship Act and NRC we do not have the luxury of being apolitical. Being apolitical in trying times like these proves that your education has been a waste. Several people have chosen to stay silent because the ones who raised their voices were silenced. All the more reason to be vocal! Let’s recap the year for India: unemployment rate is at 8.5%, GDP at 4.5%, farmer suicides - over 30 a day, world inequality rank - 147th, 95th in gender inequality, global peace index rank at 141 of 163, press freedom rank at 140th out of 180 and human development index rank at 129th of 189. With such figures, should we really be apolitical? Should we not be more informed about the people we choose to lead us? Let’s just pack a bag a head to Bhutan, atleast we’ll all be happy. Now imagine the day that countries like Bhutan start an NRC or a CAA exercise, and you’re not welcome there.

Sidharth Bedi Varma @sid_bv

CAA: Assam’s concerns against rest of India’s

he fight against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) which began from the NorthEast has now taken pan India character. The spread of the movement across the country only goes on to tell that there is major discontentment among people regarding the act which is also the reason why the movement has taken a violent turn in many places. Assam has been witnessing sporadic outbreak of protests ever since the act had been introduced in the Parliament and these protests have been majorly spontaneous with mammoth participation of students from all the major colleges and universities across the state. All attempts to

The movement against the CAA sparked off in Assam because it contradicts the Assam Accord of 1985 and the very ethos of the Assam Movement (19791985), while the rest of India perceives it as an act of exclusion of the Muslim community. suppress the movement have been meticulously mapped out which has resulted in many deaths including that of a sixteen year old in the hands of security forces. On the other hand, the recent episode at the Jamia Milia Islamia University also saw students being ruthlessly beaten up by police forces in order to crack down on their protests against the CAA. Outcries against the act have reached the nooks and corners of the country and even abroad. But the question we need to ask ourselves is whether the entire country is really fighting for the same cause. Are we missing something very vital amidst all the chaos? If one looks deeply into the issue, one would find that the nature and reasons of the protests are poles apart between NorthEast and the rest of India. The difference in attitude is evident in the interpretation of the CAA itself. While the rest of India perceives it as an act of exclusion, people of North-East perceives it as an act of inclusion. By inclusion, it means inclusion of foreigners to be citizens of India, which neither North-East nor the rest of India is in a position to accommodate. For North-East, the issue at large is the influx of these foreigners which will have detrimental impact on the region’s culture and resources. Here, the bigger issue is about identity and

O pinion

Smritirekha Sarma Haloi

indigenous culture which is at stake more than ever now that the CAA has come to place. On the other hand, protests in other parts of the country majorly concern the question of exclusion of the Muslim community from their eligibility to acquire citizenship of India as per provisions of the Act. This dual face of the movement is causing a lot of confusion among people and once again the voice of North-East is getting muffled under the hullabaloos of the rest of India. The movement against the CAA sparked off in Assam because it contradicts the Assam Accord of 1985 and the very ethos of the Assam Movement (1979-1985) in which 855 people lost their lives in

came before December 31, 2014) duly identified to acquire Indian citizenship. Concerns of the people of North East, thus revolve around protection of indigenous culture, language and the very identities against dilution due to foreign influx and the enormous burden the economy will face

the struggle to protect their land from illegal influx of Bangladeshi foreigners. The result of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was highly dissatisfactory as it reported only 1.9 million illegal foreigners living in the state which is significantly less than previous estimates. But language data tells us a completely different story. Today, less than 50 per cent of the total population of Assam speak Assamese and recognise Assamese language as their mother tongue. The 2011 Language Census revealed that Assamese speakers in the state amounted to 48.38 per cent in 2011 from 57.81 per cent in 1991. Moreover, percentage of Bengali speaking population has increased from 21.67 per cent in 1991 to 28.91 per cent in 2011. The situation in Tripura is even grimmer. Only 23.97 per cent of the total population of the state speak Kokborok, the indigenous language of the Tripuri community. Thus, it is safe to say that the North East is facing a severe identity and linguistic crisis because of the increasing influx of foreigners in the region. The economic side of the issue is equally depressing. Unemployment is increasing at a fast pace and the number of educated unemployed are more than ever. Owing to this and the relative infrastructural backwardness in the region, any amount of excess population, that too foreigners, puts immense pressure on the region’s limited resources. These have always been the concerns of the people of North- East and CAA puts the final nail in the. CAA nullifies the entire purpose of the NRC exercise because this Act provides legal eligibility to the Hindu Bangladeshi foreigners (who

if immigrants from Bangladesh come and settle here acquiring Indian citizenship. Not only Assam or North East but the entire country will suffer if CAA is implemented specially at a time when the country’s economy is witnessing its lowest phase and unemployment is at its peak.This is the bigger and practical aspect of the issue that the rest of India must place their focus on. Although humanitarian concerns and principle of nonrefoulment are important but, the Indian society is neither cohesive enough nor the economy is prosperous enough to take additional burden of foreigners. Moreover, giving a religious colour to the issue of citizenship does not fit in to Indian sensibilities and more so in case of Assam because Assam has always been a melting pot of cultures and different religions. Regardless of language and religion, people of Assam identify themselves as Assamese. An Assamese Muslim or an Assamese Sikh is as much Khilongia (indigenous) as an Ahom or other indigenous local communities which is why Assam’s fight is not against exclusion, but about inclusion. There have always been forces acting either overtly or silently to suppress voices of the NorthEastern people. This time it’s no different. The need of the hour is to make sure that these voices of despair do not fade in thin air amidst the rising chaos in the country. The rest of India must take note of the real things at stake and stand in solidarity with North East as we knows better because we have been a constant victim of Bangladeshi abuse both socially and politically.

In Focus

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

We were buying grocery when they shot my mother: Victim’s daughter

n the protests against the then Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) and now Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on December 12 the same resulted in some grievous injuries due to the army trying to quell the same. In one of such incident, a lady of Hatigaon area was shot by army personnel while she was out buying grocery for her family. The victim, identified as Nazmin Afroz, in her attempt to stock up her provisions found herself at the receiving end of the bullet when the Army decided to go on a flag march in the area. “I along with my mother went there to buy essential commodities when the army men started firing without really taking note of who was protesting or who the passersby were,” said the victim’s daughter. She further said that although the bullet was not aimed at her it somehow managed to hit her along with 17-year-old Sam Stafford who died on the spot. The victim’s daughter alleged that there was some third party involved in the entire episode

of this protest as according to her there were people who were asking them to come out and face the consequences as

Hospital where she received her initial treatment. It may be mentioned that the bullet totally damaged her toes

and shared their views on G Plus social media channels. Sonya Sah wrote, “It’s ridiculous! Why are the cops

the victim and her daughter were hiding inside of lane on the street side. The victim was later shifted to Gauhati Medical College &

and she is currently undergoing treatment at Downtown Hospital in Guwahati. Reacting to the news, Guwahatians were outraged

killing innocent people and why the government is keeping quiet? I am the big fan of PM Modi but sorry to say am too much disappointed now,” wrote

Sonya Sah. Jyoti Saikia blamed the politicians for the turmoil and wrote, “Real coward politicians with no moral grounds. We should all get BJP, Congress and AGP out of our lands and should have a new uprising with some hope that the new party is not going to be the same.” “Protests going on since last 7 months in Hongkong and only two people were killed within the period. But here within two days many people have died”, Karabi Devi wrote. Doley Vandana wrote, “Are these armies hired from Pakistan/Bangladesh/ Afghanistan? Don’t you have shame killing your own people? Who do they think they are? “I used to respect the army but now we got to know the real truth of Indian Army. She was someone’s mother and not even a protestor. What was her mistake? If Indian army can kill innocent citizens here so mercilessly then we shouldn’t live in a country like this,” wrote Iftikar Rahman. “That’s AFSPA in a nut shell! Imagine what army had been doing with that draconian Act!” wrote Alexander Naga. n

Over Rs 1 Cr goes down the drain as rowdies stain newly painted walls and railings All efforts of the PWD to beautify Guwahati has gone in vain as protestors have destroyed public properties and stained the newly painted walls. Yet, the administration is set to repair all damages. Deka Jyotsna

What about the tax payers’ money that was wasted in building detention centre in Assam? What about the loss due to internet shutdown and OlaUber loss, small big businesses facing? No financial transaction can be made online. If you talk about loss, we have lost five innocent lives. This is the biggest loss.

Godwin Snkk Khar

Actually Assam does not need painted walls or railings but they need justice and human rights. Keep that in mind. People do not want beautiful country but they want a peaceful country. Remember that all the people in the whole world know about the CAB injustice and everyone is against it.

Dharmesh Nahar

Then Rs 13,800 Cr opportunity loss, now Rs 1 Cr actual loss. I oppose CAA for Assam and I oppose these mischievous protesters also. Moreover, I am sure they are not the genuine protesters. They are the funded ones who want to showcase that the protest in Assam and the rest of India is no different. Guys, never ever believe a single politician in your life until and unless you can validate his/her track record. Moreover the political vultures are even more dangerous than these politicians. Don’t take me otherwise. Joi Aai Axom!

Sabir Chetri

What about the other major losses faced by the people of Assam? The government is not standing for the public and so this will obviously happen. If you all support them or at least do some settlement talks then this will not be there.

Asad Yusuf

Government wasted Rs 1700 crores in NRC. Moreover government employees, teachers were forced to skip their jobs and work as NRC employees. Everyone from Assam faced too many issues to find out their ancestral documents and submit it as a proof of their citizenship. After doing all this more or less 19 lakh people failed to prove their citizenship. Now the result of this was not according to the government’s expectations so they are calling this off and will implement this once again. That means again a Rs 2000 crore loss and loss of time too. Who is paying this money?

Rupam Dutta

I agree that it is a big loss for us since it’s our taxpayers’ money not politicians’. But what about Rs 30 Cr which will be spent on Filmfare awards or should I call it nautanki of Bollywood show where film stars will pat each other’s backs and give awards to each other? How Assam is going to get benefitted from it? Should we not talk about that too? After all that is our money too.

16 Guest Column

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

CAA and the threats upon the Assamese community

here was a time when the tales of the Assam Agitation were simply a part of history, for all those who were born in the post Assam Agitation era. But as the common quote itself says, “History repeats itself”, hence it seems that even something similar to Assam Agitation is currently lingering in the ambience of the beautiful state of Assam. Massive protests and agitations, numerous slogans, thousands in the road, curfew being imposed, internet services being cut off, deserted roads, many being killed and injured etc altogether give

The Act says that all those religiously persecuted individuals who have come to India till 31st December 2014, would be given Indian citizenship rights. But nowhere in the Act, there is a process for identification of an individual who has come to India on or before 31st December 2014. an impression that probably Assam is witnessing the second Assam Agitation in action. However amidst the unrest that is prevailing around the state, regarding the Act, we need to analyze how the same is going to adversely affect the state of Assam at large. The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 which amends the Citizenship Act of 1955 was recently passed in the lower house of the Parliament and subsequently signed by the honourable President of India, turning it into an Act, without giving due importance to the interests of the Assamese community. Though the Act is regarded by many as

In proud Assamese attire they walk for the motherland unconstitutional, still the BJP led government is of the opinion that the same is not unconstitutional and is completely based on humanitarian grounds, which would not affect the rights of the common citizens. However, the situation is not exactly the same when you relate the Act and bring it into consideration with the state of Assam. The history of Assam Agitation depicts that after 6 long years of protest, with the sacrifice of 855 martyrs, the ‘Assam Accord’, which is regarded as the lifeline of the community was signed by the Government of India. The Accord contains many clauses mainly for protecting the interests of the indigenous people, but out of many such clauses, people of Assam have always kept on fighting for the implementation of clause V and VI of the Accord, which talk about making the state free from illegal immigrants and providing constitutional safeguards to the native people respectively. However, when the newly passed Act would provide Indian citizenship rights to those religiously persecuted individuals from other countries (as mentioned in the Act), they would have the opportunity to easily come to Assam via the rights guaranteed under article

19(1)(d) and 19(1)(e)of the Indian Constitution which speak of right to move freely throughout the territory of India and the right to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India respectively. Therefore, when that would happen, it would directly violate clause V of the Assam Accord, plus when more and more people would come to Assam, it would create issues of employment, issues of land; issues of existence etc and in that process, the indigenous Assamese would lose their rights in their own land. And thus, we cannot even directly deny the occurrence of a scenario, where people of Assam might be made slaves in their own land. Hence the Act is a threat to the Assamese Community. Moreover, we are all aware of the fact that a community thrives only when its language, literature and culture remain intact. But when more and more of these illegal immigrants would come to Assam, they would bring with them their own language, literature and culture and might start imposing their characteristic features upon the Assamese community by being the majority, and when that would happen, slowly the unique language, literature and culture of Assam

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would simply lie in a coffin in the graveyard. And that would mean the Assamese community turning into minorities in their own land, something similar to what happened in Tripura. In fact, it pains the heart of every Assamese to imagine a scenario in the near future where these illegal immigrants might turn the state of Assam into their own land discarding the indigenous people of the state. Therefore this is another reason as to why the act is a threat to the Assamese community. Furthermore, more and more people coming to Assam would also mean increase in the demand of everything in the state and this might also have adverse impact upon the economic conditions of the State. Thousands fleeing to a particular state might also reduce the per capita income of the state, and along with this, when a community would have to sacrifice its basic necessities and comforts of life, only for the benefit of some illegal immigrants, then the community would slowly feel suffocated and if the illegal immigrants turn out to be the majority in comparison to the native individuals, then that community would simply remain as a tale in the pages of history. And that is another

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GUEST COLUMN Bishaldeep Kakati Pranjit Das

reason why the Act is a big threat for the Assamese community. In fact, the Act says that all those religiously persecuted individuals who have come to India till 31st December 2014, would be given Indian citizenship rights. But nowhere in the Act, there is a process for identification of an individual who has come to India on or before 31st December 2014. Thus this means that a person who would come to India even in 2020 can acquire Indian citizenship rights simply by saying that he came to India on or before the aforesaid date, since there is no identification process. And hence the provision itself is self explanatory to the fact that the Act is quite dangerous. Added to this, the BJP government also has betrayed the Assamese Community in the sense that it promised the people of Assam to make the state free from illegal immigrants and to properly implement the Assam Accord. However, the government by passing the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 not only nullified the entire process of NRC but also is trying to make the Assamese community suffer in their own motherland. Although the respected Home Minister of India is keen to implement the clause VI of the Assam Accord, but it still perplexes everyone to the fact as to how that would help the community especially when the significant clause V of the Assam Accord is violated by passing the Act.In fact, when many states of India have already stated that they would not accept the Act, or the government of India making it clear that the Act’s effect would not fall on states having Inner Line Permit, it still baffles everyone to understand: why the government of Assam is still silent on the Act? However in the longer run, it would be really necessary for the Assamese community to somehow nullify the impact of the Act upon the state, or it would be in complete disarray. But the bigger question that still lingers around is: When the government would wake up to hear the voices of the people and come up with better Acts for the indigenous people? n

Guest Column

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

Power of people VS people in power I t wasn’t like any other regular winter afternoon; in fact it wasn’t like a winter afternoon at all, it wasn’t cold, it was smouldering! I sat in a classroom preparing for my end semester exams, just like any other sincere college student. I could hear students shouting “Aah oi aah ulai aah!” Cries of “Joi Aai Axom!” echoed outside my university campus. I picked up my phone to view Instagram stories of my peers and juniors protesting outside.

We Assamese have always been antiestablishment they say… but why? Here is an answer. We have been hosts to parasites; we lost decades’ worth of battles in one night. Protesting for a cause, for an identity, how can we let it go in vain? “Bohi thaakile nohobo!” said one of their stories. In that moment I wanted to go join them more than anything else, but I had a badge and a label to defend. Never before had I felt so insensitive and incapable at the same time. I even must’ve joked once or twice with my friend, “Let’s go! I feel like such a traitor! They’re fighting for us!” I was afraid I’d get hurt and wouldn’t be able to give my exams. I was afraid because my best friend, sitting right next to me, needed my help to clear her exam. I was afraid for my single mother who put everything at stake financially, just so that I could pursue my higher education. As desperately

People power in full might: the voice that was heard pan India as I felt the need to go out in support of what was right, I held my emotions back and silently walked up to the library with my laptop in one hand and books on the other, knowing fully well that both my mind and heart were completely empty at that moment. We’re rewarded for excelling at academics, at the cost of what? The staff of our university kept requesting the management to call it a day and send everybody home but we were asked to remain inside the campus for our own safety. Who would cause us harm? Our own people? Our own people, fighting for us at the risk of their lives? We followed rules, we took the suggestion and we stayed back in the campus. We left the campus in the evening. All staff members along with a couple of students left the university campus in about half a dozen buses and most fortunately, mine was the one that stopped near Sixmile. Fortunately I say,

because this was a much needed lesson for me. We walked home all the way from Khanapara to RG Baruah Road, seven staff members and me, through gullies I hadn’t even explored before. Among us we had senior members and an elderly person who was finding it difficult to catch up, but he too, amidst all that fire, smoke and ash, kept up the fight. Was my university, the place I called my temple of knowledge, a part of that system which was doing us wrong? Would it have been that big of a deal, had we been sent home early? Or was this just a mark in support of the establishment? The approximately 8-km long walk home opened my eyes to an Axom I had never witnessed before. Being raised in Hyderabad, I was never close to my Assamese roots. Last night, I took pride in calling myself ‘Axomiya’. I even must’ve heard a few people on the streets say “Tonight, we won’t return home.

We will stand right here, right here! This fire will not die, no matter how hard they try.” It was people against everything, against the system, against politics and against forceful unjust laws. My phone rang continuously as my friends and family kept calling me to find out if I was okay. Amidst all these calls, I received a phone call from my mother. She was not paranoid like any other mother would have been. She was concerned for sure, but she was just calling to make sure that I was safe. She was not worried that the protestors would cause me harm, No! She was more worried because 5,000 troops deployed in the city, were ready to gun down people at any time. The Army is conducting flag marches around the city asking people to stay at home even as I write this. Never before has the state felt threatened like this by its own protectors. Is this what it has come to?

GUEST COLUMN

Rifa Deka Between all this, every few minutes, I heard slogans of “Aami CAB namanu!” and “Ei jui jolise joliboi!” I run to my window and peep through the curtains watching people from all classes of the society and of all age groups shout as loud as they can, defying curfew and denying everything imposed on them that was wrong. We Assamese have always been anti-establishment they say… but why? Here is an answer. We have been hosts to parasites; we lost decades’ worth of battles in one night. Protesting for a cause, for an identity, how can we let it go in vain? It is the establishment we fear, it is foreign invaders we fear, not militant outfits, not violent protestors! Never has Assam received anything without having to agitate for it. So much for being bhodro! We do not want anybody to protect our tribes, our heritage, our culture, our language. We can do that all by ourselves and we’ll show it to the world. Those of us that cannot go out on the streets, we will use the pen in support of those taking a hit for us on the streets in this catastrophic situation. They’ve diverted thousands of troops here, they’ll do everything to stop us, to suppress our voices and strangle us, but we will only scream louder in unison, in one voice. Tear gas, gunshots, lathis can’t simmer this flame no more. We defeated the Mughals 17 times; we have it in us, that blood of Lachit. Assam is out there, fighting invaders yet again! The city was ablaze and we raged against the dying of the light! (The author is a Mass Comm student of Royal Global University, Guwahati)

Advance tax payment deadline for NE states extended G Plus News @guwahatiplus

he Central Board of Direct Taxation (CBDT) on Sunday, December 15, has extended the deadline for making advance tax payments for the

north-eastern states in view of the protests against the citizenship law. The date has been extended to December 31, 2019. Earlier, the deadline was December 15. “In view of the recent disturbances in the North Eastern region of India, CBDT has decided to extend the date

for payment of 3rd instalment of Advance Tax for FY (financial year) 2019-20 from 15th December, 2019 to 31st December, 2019 for the North Eastern region of India, CBDT has decided to extend the date for payment of 3rd instalment of Advance Tax for FY (financial year) 2019-20 from 15th December, 2019 to 31st

December, 2019 for the North Eastern Region,” the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said in a statement. “Notification will follow,” it said. Advance tax payments, under the direct taxes category, are made four times in a financial year.

18 Review

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

Starring: Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Arbaaz Khan, Mahie Gill, Sudeep Director: Prabhu Deva

Dabangg 3

ine years ago, director Abhinav Kashyap persuaded Salman Khan to play a parodic version of himself. The action comedy Dabangg created one of Khan’s most endearing characters – the suave and charming rogue cop Chulbul Pandey, who was deft with both punches and punchlines. The sequel, made by Salman Khan’s brother Arbaaz Khan in 2012, had little new to contribute to Chulbul’s khaki cool, but said it with enough confidence to pass muster. Dabangg 3, directed by Prabhudeva, is the origin story of Chulbul Pandey that nobody asked for but was given anyway. The movie takes a ‘best-of’ approach

and rehashes lines and moments from the previous productions, and the result is about as rivetting as Chulbul’s secrets. We find out what Chulbul’s real name is, the reason he wears his eyeshades on the back of his shirt collar, and the source of the infamous line about perforating the body with numerous holes. We also learn that before Chulbul met and married Rajjo (Sonakshi Sinha), he loved Khushi (Saiee Manjrekar), though just how this contributes to Chulbul’s evolution apart from giving him something new to do the third time round is never clear. Chulbul has been posted in a no-name town, where he has little to do except hone his newfound

love for women’s empowerment. Chulbul is now an avowed feminist, rescuing girls from a sex trafficking ring, advising women against changing their surnames after marriage, and giving rather than demanding dowry. Chulbul’s actions bring him in the crosshairs of Bali (Sudeep), who turns out to be an old adversary from his hidden past. The tedium never lets up, and the heavily advertised dustup between Chulbul and Bali is drowned in slow-motion and obvious wirework. Chandeliers tremble and baddies scatter as Chulbul makes his entrance, but the bells and whistles cannot conceal just how slowly Khan moves and how much heavier and lumbering he has become in recent years. Most of the cast takes its cue from its leading man and turns out amateurish and forgettable performances. Only Sonakshi Sinha behaves with some dignity, even though Rajjo has little to do but blush in Chulbul’s presence and cavort around with him in the placeholder songs. The only truly bizarre moment is the actor recruited to portray Chulbul’s father Prajapati. Vinod Khanna, who played Prajapati in the previous movies, passed on before he could return to the role. The character is now portrayed by Vinod Khanna’s real-life brother Pramod. There is a resemblance between the siblings and little else. Just as Pramod Khanna attempts to imitate his brother, Khan too tries to summon the spirit of Chulbul Pandey from the previous Dabangg films. Dabangg 3 isn’t funny or even campy enough to be anything more than an aging hero’s throw of dice, hoping that third time will be as lucky as the first two.

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Mardaani 2

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Jumanji: The Next Level (English) 12:25 PM, 06:25 PM

Pati Patni Aur Woh 08:50 PM

and this phone is not terribly slippery. The back also has the same ‘hyperbolic’ pattern that the XT had, which means it will glisten when light hits it as it moves. The screen is still relatively large, so using this phone comfortably with one hand can be challenging at times. Button placement is good and the layout of the ports is also the same as on previous Realme phones, with

The star of the Realme X2 is its processor. This is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G SoC, which we’ve seen before in phones

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for Realme. The Snapdragon 730G features eight Kryo 470 cores and an Adreno 618 GPU, both of which are superior to those found in the Snapdragon 710 and 712 SoCs. It’s also built on the smaller 8nm fabrication process, which should make it more power efficient.

Verdict

the speaker, USB Type-C port, and headphone socket all placed at the bottom.

Specifications

Dabangg 3

Anuradha Cineplex, Noonmati

The Realme X2 comes in at roughly the same price points as the Realme XT (Rs 15,974), but features a much more powerful processor, quicker charging, and a higher-resolution front camera. All in all, it seems to be a pretty decent upgrade on paper. The main attraction here though is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G SoC, which is targeted at gamers. If you’re one of the many people always looking out for a good smartphone priced under Rs. 20,000, you’ll be wondering whether the Realme X2 is the best offering right now. Let’s have a look.

The Realme X2 carries the same design DNA as the Realme XT, rather than the X2 Pro as its name would lead you to believe. Physically, it’s hard to tell the two phones apart, unless you get the new Pearl Green colour which is only available for the X2 right now. This colour trim has a glossy frame, instead of the matte finish on the other colour options. Build quality and finish are both good,

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Realme X2

Design

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such as the Samsung Galaxy A80 (Rs 35,900) and the Oppo Reno 2 (Rs 33,290). Notably, both these phones cost more than Rs. 30,000, so to offer the same SoC for under Rs. 20,000 is quite an achievement

The Realme X2 builds on the success of the Realme XT, and is yet another superb all-rounder priced below Rs. 20,000. It just makes sense to pick this over the Realme XT or even the Realme X (Rs 16,807) at the moment, since for a bit more money, you get the same software as the X2 Pro plus some nice hardware upgrades. Low-light video quality could be refined a bit, and FM radio is missing, which was available with the XT. Other than this, it offers a good display, strong battery life with very fast charging, a capable set of cameras, and very good gaming performance. Even if you aren’t a gamer, the Realme X2 is currently the best Realme phone you should consider under Rs. 20,000. (Review from NDTV Gadgets)

Buzz

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

Novelist Jayashree Goswami Mahanta selected for Sahitya Akademi Award

ovelist and former AGP Rajya Sabha member Jayashree Goswami Mahanta has been selected for the Sahitya Akademi award. Mahanta was chosen for the award for her novel “Chanakya”. Twenty-two other writers and poets will receive the award, which comprises an engraved copper plate and Rs 1 lakh cash prize, on February 25, 2020 in Delhi. Mahanta stated that she will distribute the prize money among the families of those killed during the recent anti-citizenship law protests in Assam. In a dig at the AGP for supporting the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), she said she is deeply hurt at the betrayal by “those elected by the people” as the law is not acceptable to the people of Assam.

Sabha member for a single term from 1999. n

Exams across various city schools, colleges rescheduled

xams across various colleges and schools across Assam have been rescheduled amidst the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Exams of Gauhati University and Tata Institute of Social Sciences have been rescheduled to December 23 and January first week respectively. Royal Global School’s exams

have been postponed till January first week and Royal Global University’s exam’s will be held on December 23. Don Bosco School Panbazar’s exams will be held on January 3. Talking to G Plus, Chairman of Secondary Education Board of Assam, RC Jain said, “School level exams of SEBA will be held as per the convenience of the respective districts.” Talking about the shutting

down of schools due to the turmoil in the state, Administrative Officer of Royal Global School, Shravanti Borah said, “It was an unfortunate day, little kids were traumatised as suddenly the situation in the city degraded.” Meanwhile, schools and colleges all across Guwahati have been ordered to stay closed till December 22. n

RGU, NLUJA sign MoU for academic collaboration

he Royal Global University (RGU), on December 20, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Law University & Judicial Academy (NLUJA), Assam for academic collaboration between both the institutions. The academic collaboration will encompass exchange

Tezpur University to hold XVII convocation on December 23

She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2018 and was Rajya

of students and members of faculty between the two institutions and facilitate other academic activities, research and publication. The MoU was signed by RGU Vice Chancellor Prof SP Singh and NLUJA Vice Chancellor Prof JS Patil in the presence of M Ahmed, Registrar and senior faculty members of NLUJA and

Prof AK Buragohain, Chairperson (Academic) and Angira Mimani, Registrar of RGU.

he 17th convocation of Tezpur University will be held on Monday, December 23 at the Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha Auditorium within the university premises.

diplomas in the convocation by Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi, the Chancellor of Tezpur University. The pre-convocation cultural function, meanwhile, has been cancelled.

University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman, DP Singh, will be the chief guest of the ceremony. Over 800 students will be awarded various degrees and

All the participants including awardees and members of the academic council and board of management will take part in the convocation rehearsals on the previous day of the convocation.

NE School Chess Championship to be held from December 22

he State Servo Challenge 8th Raktabh Dutta Choudhury Memorial North East School Chess Championship will be held from December 22 to 25. The competition is being jointly

organised by the Mind Sports Foundation and Assam Jatiya Bidyalay. Earlier the competition was scheduled to be held from December 19 to 22 at the Assam Jatiya Bidyalay.

20 Fun Jayashree Bose

21st and 25th December spend time connecting with your seniors or business network, host important meetings on these dates. 23rd December avoid scheduling any meetings, last minute changes and disagreements. 24th December you will be emotionally hurt either by your parents or seniors. 26th December your views might not be accepted by others.

Just avoid dealing with your seniors on 21st , 23rd and 24th December. 22nd and 23rd December, be prepared for last minute changes. On 23rd December you will be emotionally hurt by your seniors or parent’s words and actions. On 24th December you will have disagreements with your boss. 26th December will be an ideal day for you to mingle with your seniors and people at work and build your work network.

It will be a good week for you. 24th , 25th and 27th December will be great days for you to connect with your senior and share your ideas with him/her, you could host your important meetings on these dates. Avoid scheduling any important meetings on 23 rd December. You could have issues with your seniors or your extended family on 26th 2 December. 21 st December avoid trusting anyone with your secrets.

25th and 26th December will be great days for you to share your ideas with your seniors and build a relationship with them. 27th December you could have issues with your seniors and your parents, avoid hosting any meetings. 21 st December be careful of your words and action as you will create your own problems. Avoid over planning on 22nd and 23rd December.

24th December be careful of your words and action as you will create your own problems. 24th and 27th December will be great days for you to share your ideas with your seniors or simply just connect with them. You could schedule your important meetings on these dates. 23rd December avoid hosting any event, there will be last minute changes or plans could get cancelled.

If you were planning on a holiday then this is the perfect time to go for it. Unless you are willing to uphold your promises, avoid 3 making any on 27th December. 22nd and 23rd December avoid over planning, just go with the flow, there will be last minute changes.

21st December will be a great day for you to build your relationship with your seniors and people at work. Put your best foot forward. Be careful of your words and actions on 26th December, you will create your own problems. 27th December avoid trusting anyone with your secrets, others could betray your trust.

Watch yourself on 21st and 24th December, avoid making any promises or getting into a confrontation. You could feel emotionally betrayed by your seniors or parents on 26th December. Avoid over planning on 22nd and 23rd December, things will not go as planned.

Certified Feng Shui, Chinese astrology, date selection consultant & author, www.facebook.com/geoprinciples

27th December will be a great day for you to connect with your boss and share your ideas, host all your important meetings. 22nd December will be an unpredictable day, you could feel your parents, or your boss doesn’t appreciate your efforts at all. 23rd and 25th December avoid hosting any important meetings, things will not be as you planned, you will face obstacles. 25th and 26th December will be excellent days for you to schedule your important meetings. Your seniors will be receptive to your ideas. On 25th December you could feel your seniors and/or your parents are ungrateful, they don’t appreciate you. 22nd December will be a slow day for you. 23rd avoid over planning.

21st December will be an ideal day to share your ideas with your boss or connect with people at work and family, probably host a Saturday dinner with your business network. 23rd December will be unpredictable, avoid over planning. 25th December will be a slow day for you.

24th December is an ideal day for you to mingle with your seniors, people at work and build your work network. Avoid hosting any event on 22nd and 23rd December, there will be last minute changes or cancellation. 25 th December you could get into 4 an argument with your seniors or extended family.

knackered effervescent

His namesake Leonardo Di Caprio

adjective [nak-erd] [ ef-er-ves-uhnt ]

PV Narasimha Rao

curio-city

Dilbert By Scott Adams

Across

Word of the week

Dr. Soubhadra Chakrabarty This quiz has been brought to you by Brain Jam, a property of Priya Communications

very hard

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

Saraighat

Which million bucks earning sportsperson, recently, is very aptly nicknamed ‘Money’?

88 41 22

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

86 25

77 31 63 55 18 73 94

Daily Sudoku: Fri 6-Dec-2019

Floyd Mayweather

The Brahmaputra in Assam is narrowest at which famous place?

2 41

8 67 46 39 2 very hard 9 1 8 5

2 7 7 6 6 4

Both are modern renditions of Mahabharata.

Which Hollywood star is playing the role of Leonardo Da Vinci in the recent biopic being made?

3 5 8 4 53 19 3 1 74 67 5 9 36 92 1 5 99 24 8

Identify this state flower of Assam.

7 6 2 99 24 8 3 6 4 3 94 4 3 very hard 1

last week solution

6 1 4 9 7 89 26 78 52 67 51 33 92 84 29 14 45 37 76 88 26 81 63 35 14 75 92 54 69 41 38 67 29 43 92 93 78 85 11 56 47 59 11 28 35 Daily Sudoku: Fri 20-Dec-2019 2 4 6 7 3

Foxtail Orchid

Which former prime minister of India was the author of the novel ‘The Insider’ depicting the machinations of modern Indian politics?

very hard

Connect Shyam Benegal’s movie ‘Kalyug’ with the Shashi Tharoor’s novel ‘The Great Indian Story.’

3 8 2 8 2 6 4 1 3 4 5 3 4 8 9 8 63 5 4 5 92 5 69 7 67 9 2 6 1 56 4 28 2 Daily Sudoku: Fri 20-Dec-2019 9 Daily Sudoku: Fri 6-Dec-2019

curio-city

Sudoku

These predictions are based on the month of birth, and are about an individual’s work environment, parents and extended family.

Horoscope of the week

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

British Slang. exhausted; very tired

vivacious; merry; lively; sparkling.

Crossword Down

1 Loosely woven cloth from Scotland (6,5) 9 Impromptu (9) 10 Animal (with nine nine tails?) (3) 11 Himalayan country (5) 13 Excellent — shining bright? (7) 14 On ship (6) 15 Purist (6) 18 Arctic deer — a Rio cub (anag) (7) 20 Best possible (5) 21 See 23 22 Fling (9) 24 Fifth book of the Bible

2 Fit (3) 3 Person whose speech is not well organised (7) 4 Married partner (6) 5 In which position? (5) 6 Acquit — clear (9) 7 Entertainment area with coin- operated machines (5,6) 8 Narrator (11) 12 TV show (9) 16 Issue (7) 17 Male domestic servant (6) 19 Bathroom basin (5) 23, 21 UK resident who the tax man accepts as having their "true" home elsewhere (abbr) (3-3)

Last week’s solution

Trotter

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

In Bhubaneswar, exchange plastic waste for a meal

n a bid to promote plastic waste management and create awareness among people to curb pollution from such waste products, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has rolled out an initiative under which it will serve a meal in exchange for a half kilogram plastic waste. The ‘’Meal for Plastic’’ initiative has been rolled out in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the state government’s Aahar Scheme. The facility will be available at all the state-government-run Aahar Centers in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Speaking to ANI, BMC Commissioner Prem Chandra

Chaudhary said, “This is kind of a Plastic Collection campaign, plus (provides) food security. There are a lot of people who collect plastic and there are also the people who throw plastic, which creates a problem. So we thought there should be some mechanism to collect this plastic waste, where both the objectives can be achieved. “So now anyone can go to

any of the 11 Aahar Centers in Bhubaneswar and by giving half a kilogram of plastic waste, they can get the meal,” Mr Chaudhary added. Tarana Shayad, Project head Plastic Waste Management, UNDP said, “This project is a small step to protect the environment and to create awareness among the people regarding plastic waste. We will collect all the plastic from the Aahar Centers and will recycle it in a proper manner.” “BMC wants to aware the people through this that plastic may feed you, so don’t throw plastic on roads, just collect it and get food,” Tarana Shayad added. (Source: ndtv)

Man cooks pork roast In His Car in the current Australian heat

man has successfully cooked a pork roast in a car on a scorching hot day in Australia. Stu Pengelly placed the slab of pork in a baking tin on the car seat of his red Datsun Sunny in Perth, Western Australia, for around 10 hours. “It worked a treat!” he said in a Facebook post with pictures of the cooked meat cut into slices to demonstrate its doneness. Pengelly also gave the temperature as it increased throughout the day, culminating in a “staggering 81 degrees

Celsius inside temperature” (177.8 degrees Fahrenheit) at 1 pm. Other social media users responded to the post with humorous comments, asking for an invite to the next roast, and relating their own experiences

cooking in a heat wave. But Pengelly’s post also contained some serious advice, warning people not to leave their children or dogs in a vehicle in the heat. “Do not leave anyone or anything precious to you in a hot car, not for a minute,” he wrote. Perth has recorded 10 days this month when temperatures soared above 35 degrees Celsius, according to Australia’s meteorology bureau. When reached for comment, Pengelly said he next wants to try cooking roast beef in the Datsun. (Source: ndtv)

Thousands of bizarre ‘penis fish’ wash up on beach

housand of bizarre “penis fish” have washed up on a beach in northern California, likely due to the weather. Experts believe the phallic creatures, known as “ fat innkeeper” worms, were forced out of their underwater burrows and dumped on Drakes Beach by recent storms. The beach was covered with the pink worms - which can grow to almost a foot long as seagulls scooped them up from the sands north of San Francisco. “Penis fish” are a delicacy in East Asia, where they are eaten raw with salt and

sesame oil, grilled or stirfried with vegetables, and they are also used as fishing bait. The creatures dig U-shaped burrows within beaches or mudflats. The tunnels are left behind for other sea life to move in, hence its “innkeeper” name. Biologist Ivan Parr came

across the strange scene at Drakes Beach after a storm hit the region. He wrote for Bay Nature: “You could be forgiven for being offended by the above photo: thousands of 10-inch wiggly pink sausages strewn about Drakes Beach. The “penis fish” slide out of their burrows and produce a sticky mucous net when the tide is in. The bizarre but harmless creatures can live for up to 25 years and spend most of their lives on the sea floor. Researchers have found U-shaped burrows dating back 300 million years. (Source: mirror.co.uk)

Teen writes hilarious CV to convince her mum to let her have puppy

teen who put a puppy on her Christmas wish list only to be told it was “never going to happen” found a brilliant way to win her mum round. All dog-mad Kayla Severi wanted this year was a Staffordshire bull terrier puppy and despite telling her mum Melissa she wanted one “more than anything in the world,” her request was turned down. Determined to make her own Christmas miracle, the 18-yearold drafted a hilarious CV and cover letter to set out exactly why she was qualified for the role of taking care of a good dog. Her CV included claims of excellent time management skills, “hella money” to cover the costs of the dog, and the all-important qualities of love and kindness. Incredibly, Kayla’s efforts paid off and her mum gave in to her pleas, allowing her to pick out and buy her very own puppy to bring home in time for Christmas. Kayla, from Sydney, said, “I have two family dogs already, but my friend sent me a Snapchat of his cousin who is selling some

puppies. I’ve been wanting one for ages and it’s Christmas, so I finally got the money from working all year and I feel like I’m old enough now to have my own dog and care for it. “So, I wrote an 800-word essay about statistics on how a puppy would benefit my mental health and also boost my companionship, responsibility and moneyhandling skills. “I made a resume and cover letter as well, just to show her that I’d be well suited for the role of a responsible dog owner.” The teen said when her mum first saw the application she burst out laughing and stood firm on her answer of no, but gave in after reading the CV and cover letter in detail. (Source: metro.co.uk)

Bottle gobbled up by man’s anus when he ‘tried to scratch an itch’

patient is recovering after his anus swallowed a bottle while he was trying to relieve an itch. The man, 60, who is not being identified, insists that he was trying to scratch his anus when the cologne bottle was gobbled up inside him. He eventually went to hospital where he told doctors he had a pain in his abdomen. They investigated and when they got to the bottom of it they found the two-inch wide bottle lodged firmly up his posterior. Gastroenterologist Dr Lin Jun, who carried out the anal surgery, released pictures from the hospital in South China’s Guangdong Province as a warning to others not to do the same. A probe found the base of the seven inch-long Florida Water cologne bottle around two inches inside his anus. Dr Lin said, “The patient told me: ‘My abdomen hurts. There’s something inside. I can’t poo or fart’. The entire glass bottle was inside his rectum. I could feel the bottle under his abdomen. He said his anus was

itching. He said: ‘I was very uncomfortable, so I bought a bottle of Florida Water and began scratching the itch. Then the bottle accidentally went up my rectum’.” He added: “It’s better to seek medical attention and let a doctor help you than attempt to resolve similar conditions by buying tools and such things.” The patient is not expected to suffer any long-term effects apart from embarrassment. In August this year another patient had the same issue with the same brand of cologne. He had to be anaesthetised from the waist down and a metal wire was used to hook onto the bottle before it was pulled out. (Source: metro.co.uk)

22 Lifestyle

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

Vaastu for Commercial Complexes Hemanta Kumar Sarmah Engineer, Businessman, Advanced Pranic Healer and Su Jok Acupressure specialist.

or a commercial venture to prosper, Vaastu can be inducted into the project to reap maximum profits. Creating an extension or projection towards the northeast is the foremost of all. This can be done by reducing the eastern southeast or northern northwest by a bit because acquiring that extra land towards northern or eastern northeast may not be possible. By leaving out land in eastern southeast and northern northwest, the northeast of the plot is extended which will reap benefits in the long run. Car parking areas are a must for any commercial establishment like shopping arcade, cinema hall, departmental stores, malls etc. It is best to have open areas in north and east for parking. If the parking is in cellar, the building can be designed with little more open area in north and east with the entry from north, east or northeast. If the plot is facing west or

south, there is a tendency to leave more open area in south or west for car parking. This will result in financial losses. Whenever the plots are facing south or west, shopping complex should be built on to the road with minimum open space in south or west. The complex should not be built covering the plot touching the north or east boundary. Instead more open area in the rear i.e. in north and

should be in north and east. In shops, drinking water should be kept in north-east. In general, all the shops in shopping malls must follow common Vaastu principles. The northeast corner should never be used to store any kind of materials as it cannot bear any load. The puja or place of worship should be kept in this corner so that it is kept vacant. Heavy showcases and stocks should be

south and west directions, with the stairs leading to them in the right i.e. clockwise direction and from north to south or from east to west.

Some extra tips

It is very auspicious to have natural bright light falling into the main doorway. The corners of the house should be well lit. You can use decorative lampshades in the living/drawing room. Though the south direction is not supposed to be very good, the bedrooms should be placed at south in such a way so that wind blows into the room from the south.

east should be left, where car parking, lawns, fountains etc., should be designed. Water reservoirs (underground) and bore wells

kept in west, south or south-west and south side portions of shops. Wherever overhead lofts and mezzanine floors are desired, same must be provided towards

A house should not have more than five doors through which one can go out of the house or come in. Do not fix a mirror in the

Add these ingredients to your shampoo to grow your hair quickly

ur packed schedules leave little or no time for us to prioritise our tresses. But care is important because losing hair is a collective nightmare. Here are some things you can add to your shampoo to ensure natural, quick and healthy hair growth; read on.

Sugar

It is believed that in addition to making the hair appear super soft and shiny, sugar helps with the growth of new hair. It removes dead skin cells from the scalp and clears off all the dirt. Before washing your hair, add one teaspoon of sugar to the shampoo and massage.

growth.

Considered great for the skin, this natural ingredient is magical for the hair, too. By maintaining the pH level of the scalp, it keeps the dandruff away. Rose water is

Lemon juice

Rose water

also credited for making the scalp appear fresh always. Add some to your shampoo, and use it regularly for healthy hair and quick

Lavender oil For those who have dry scalp, particularly in winters, this is a great remedy. Lavender oil helps promote healthy growth of hair by preventing dandruff. Before bath, add three to five drops of the oil to your shampoo and then apply on your hair.

With its anti-microbial properties, lemon juice can keep dandruff problems at bay. It

is also believed to reduce the risk of fungal infections, and in the absence of these problems, the hair is likely to grow faster. Lemon also cleanses the scalp and makes the hair smell good. Add two teaspoons of the juice to one tablespoon of your shampoo.

Honey

Another home ingredient, honey is supposed to moisturise the hair and make the follicles strong, thereby promoting quality and hair growth. It also makes the hair smooth and silky. All you have to do is add two teaspoons of honey to two tablespoons of shampoo, mix and apply, and then wash it off.

kitchen. Only when you are cooking facing south or west in compulsion. Do not place the mops and brooms in the kitchen. It is good to have a fish aquarium in the southeast corner in the living area. Do not keep plants or water features in the bedroom. It is good to have the house furniture in the form of circle, square or as an octagon. fix an image of bright sun in the southern wall of the living area. You can do so in the east also if your east is blocked or high. The dining hall should not be directly visible while entering the house. You will naturally feel awkward while dining when some guest comes in at that moment.

The Earth we live in The Clean sky has become dull What is happening? Have we become so numb? The trees are being cut down To create more material Losing oxygen isn’t a bad deal for us. The life underwater is about to extinct But do we really care about this? The resources of nature are limited Yet we are over-utilizing it. We are suffering the global crisis But still, we are not caring. We face high climatic changes but yet we are smiling. The air that we breath isn’t fresh anymore, the water we drink isn’t clean anymore. A question striking always in my mind? Are we actually helping the environment or we are just talking? Years have passed the conditions getting worse. When will this end or we are near the destruction We can’t sit and observe we need to take action. The earth on which we are living is a gift let’s restore it. Walking more, planting more, taking precautions more can help us, can save us. Can we do that for ourselves? Can we stop whatever plastic waste we create? Can we adopt rainwater harvesting? Can we bring the change that our earth requires, can we not dump the wastage in the water? A question to ask yourself whether we want to live and leave this planet in better condition for the upcoming generation? If yes then let’s protect nature. If not now then when, If not us then who?

Ridhima Batra

Entertainment

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

Adil Hussain listed among the 30 best performers in Bengali cinema

BOLLYWOOD

ctor Adil Hussain’s role as an immigration officer (Purnendu Pahari) in the movie Ahare Mon, has been listed among the 30 best performances of the decade in Bengali cinema. The list has been released by ‘Third Vantage Point’. Ahare Mon has been directed by Pratim D Gupta and it also stars Paoli Dam along with Hussain. It is a romantic drama that revolves around people who are otherwise forbidden to fall in love. Hussain took to his Twitter handle and wrote, “Absolutely delighted to have found myself

ollywood celebrities including Farhan Akhtar, Huma Qureshi and Swara Bhasker, marched through the streets of Mumbai on

a certain amount of discrimination in what has been planned and what is happening. And, as a citizen of this country and somebody who’s been born and has grown up with

Thursday to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Talking to the media persons, Akhtar said, “To raise your voice against something is absolute democratic right, people are raising their voices and I subscribe to the view that there seems to be

a certain idea of what India is, it is important for me to raise my voice.” Other celebrities including Mahesh Bhatt and Sushant Singh Rajput have also showed their resentment against the controversial CAA.

on this list of best 30 performances of the decade in Bengali Cinema for #AhareMon by @ PratimDGupta thank you @Thirdvantage for this and big thank you to the Director Pratim and of course to my actor @paoli_d.”

Assam born Rupam Sarmah’s ‘One Little Finger’ in the race for Oscars

orhat born Rupam Sarmah’s movie, “One Little Finger” has been landed in the race for the Academy Awards 2020. The film has been nominated in three categories - Original Song, Best Film and Best Original Score. “One Little Finger” has received an overwhelming response in various film festivals all across the world and won the “Best Film for Inspiration Making a Global Impact – Founders Award” at the Riverside International Film Festival held at Los Angeles earlier in the year. The movie is about an American neurologist (Tamela D’Amico), who uproots her life to study music therapy in India and ends

celebrities join protests against CAA

up helping people with disabilities by bringing them together through music. Sarmah is a musician, filmmaker, entrepreneur and computer scientist who currently resides in California. He has written and directed the film and is receiving international acclaim for daring to make the film with 80 disabled persons. As a filmmaker, producer and director, Rupam has directed documentaries, short films and feature films and has worked with some of the award-winning artists and actors

Every film need not carry a social sentiment, says screenwriter Rajdweep

I like Siedah Garrett, Dan Aykroyd, Moloya Goswami and others.

don’t think each and every film should carry a social sentiment on its shoulder,” says ‘Pratighaat’ screenwriter Rajdweep. “In today’s era, films are being made on such amazing subjects we could not even imagine before. But yes, if your subject or idea allows you convey any kind of social message, we should go along with it,” added Rajdweep, screenwriter of recently released Assamese film ‘Pratighaat’. According to Rajdweep, ‘Pratighaat’ is kind of film which tries to entertain audience with its commercial elements and also conveys a strong message to the society. He says, “See I am happy to get positive feedbacks for ‘Pratighaat’. We as a team worked really hard for this film and I would be happier if more people can connect with the idea we tried to deliver.” His new film ‘Pratighaat’, starring Bishnu Khargharia, Diganata Hazarika, Amrita Gogoi, Aimee Barua and Siddhartha Sarma among others has been released all over Assam on 6th December last. The film has

been directed by debutant director Asinto Sankar.

24 Catching Up

G PLUS | Dec 21 - Dec 27, 2019

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