New Jeysey, USA based The Rutgers AAUP-AFT (American Association of University Professors and American Federation of Teachers), has issued a soliderity statement with Student Protesters in India.
The Rutgers AAUP-AFT stands in solidarity with students, faculty, and protesters at Jamia Millia Islamia University, Aligarh Muslim University, and elsewhere across India who are protesting the passing of The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (now Act) 2019 (CAA). We condemn unjustified police violence against peaceful protesters.
The police have perpetrated violent reprisal against students who have dissented and several students have suffered serious bodily harm. This is a dissent from the newly instituted criterion for citizenship, the CAA which contradicts the secular basis of Indian democracy and the Indian constitution. Citizens across India are protesting the CAA as it is part of a legislative drive to target and isolate Muslims. CAA must be seen in conjunction with the National Register of Citizens (NRC), a proposed nationwide scheme (already ongoing in the state of Assam) that is set to render innumerable citizens of India, and Muslims in particular, stateless.
These measures have come even as the Government of India has kept Kashmir under total lockdown since August 5, 2019. Kashmiris have had no access to internet or free press and have been detained in unknown numbers. And now several other states are locked down under Section 144 that criminalizes protest meetings.
As such, we reject the logic of second-class citizenship and majoritarian rule behind these measures. We support the rights of unhindered free assembly and academic freedom that are fundamental in a democracy, and demand the removal of police from all university campuses. There are protests by students in universities across the length and breadth of the country and we stand with them.
21 Mar 2013 - 9:53am | Indrajit Das
The Sankardev Bhawan premises in Delhi turned into a nest of singing birds on Sunday when singers---old and young alike mesmerized the packed gathering in the evening. Talking to Assam Times, the...
21 Jul 2020 - 5:46pm | AT News
Guwahati: A local court in Guwahati on Tuesday jailed a student a day after the Sivasagar police arrested him for making "objectionable" remarks against the government in social media which has gone...
20 Sep 2017 - 1:12pm | Dibya J Borthakur
The final year B.Sc (Agri.) students of Assam Agricultural University who have been undergoing the Rural Agricultural Work Experience programme at Puranigudam, Nagaon inaugurated a full fledged...
9 Aug 2014 - 9:14am | AT News
The Hailakandi district administration has suspended at least 30 school teachers alleging dereliction in their duties. This was followed by serving show cause notice to deputy inspector of schools...
We are deeply concerned about the continuing ethnic violence in Manipur between the Meitei community and the tribal Kuki and Zo communities. We demand an immediate halt to this violence that is causing large scale disruption of lives, livelihoods and properties and unleashing even more terror among people.
The immediate trigger to this violence was an April 2023 Manipur High Court order advising the state government to grant the Meitei community (members of which now have either OBC or in some cases SC status) the status of Scheduled Tribe. Thereby, the Meitei community would have access to land that is currently reserved for tribal communities. Several spates of violence broke...
Assam TMC chief Ripun Bora on Thursday in a couple of tweets expressed his angst for the inaction of the Central Government in not taking any steps to investigate into the alleged links between Assam CM Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma and BJP leader Ram Madhav with terrorist outfit. In a tweet, Bora questions the credibility of the Government of India as it has been using central agencies like CBI & ED against opposition leaders all the time. Then why is GOI silent on the allegations of Assam CM Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma being involved with Kuki militants in the Manipur election in 2017? Bora demanded a NIA probe into the allegations and arrest of Sarma under NSA Act. Meanwhile, he also stated...
Here's an appeal for donations for the relief effort currently being undertaken by by Rural Women Upiftment Society, Manipur.
Online donations can be made to the organisation through at https://milaap.org/fundraisers/support-rural-women-upliftment-society .
Dear friends,
The devastating ethnic violence and arson that unfolded in Manipur since May 3rd, 2023, have left a trail of destruction, claiming the lives of over 100 people, injuring more than 5,000, and displacing an estimated 70,000 individuals. Numerous homes, villages, and churches have been reduced to ashes, leaving families without shelter or land to return to. The situation is dire and urgent...
In a devastating incident on 2 June 2023, three trains collided near the city of Balasore in Odisha, resulting in a catastrophic loss of life and a large number of injuries. The collision involved the 12841 Coromandel Express, the 12864 SMVT Bengaluru–Howrah SF Express, and a goods train near the Bahanaga Bazar railway station.
The incident has sent shockwaves throughout the country, and questions are being raised about the safety measures in place within the Indian Railways. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has previously published an audit report exposing the neglect of crucial rail safety by the Modi government and Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The report revealed...
Guwahati: The All Assam Engineers' Association (AAEA) has strongly called for the demarcation of the Assam Engineering College campus and the construction of a solid boundary wall to safeguard the prestigious institution in Jalukbari, Northeast India. The organization, while expressing condolences for the recent tragic incident that claimed the lives of seven AEC students, emphasized the need for a secure residential campus where hostel residents cannot venture out after specified evening hours.
Following the incident, concerns were raised regarding security measures at the college. The AAEA's statement highlighted the fact that the AEC campus is no longer isolated as it was decades ago...
An undying orgy of violence in Manipur puts Chief Minister N Biren Singh in a tough time to continue his second consecutive term.
Highly placed sources have said the escalating tension in the BJP-ruled north eastern state is forcing the party leadership to consider a change in the state government leadership as an urgent measure to help the state bail out of the crisis that has left 53000 people homeless so far.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is on a four-day visit to the restive state, is learnt to have been considering all possible aspects to quell the situation.
The symbolic anthem “We Shall Overcome” reverberated the air filled with tears and fears. All...
Guwahati: Expressing profound grief at the demise of seven brilliant students of Assam Engineering College (AEC) in a tragic late-night accident on 29 May 2023, All Assam Engineer’s Association (AAEA) urges the college authority to impose some basic disciplinary measures urgently. The forum of graduate engineers (many of them AECians) also wishes an early recovery to all the injured students and others in the fatal road mishap.
The AEC Hostel 7 boarders were returning to the residential college campus from western part of the city and faced the accident near the Jalukbari overbridge. The luxury car carrying ten students hit the divider first and then a goods carrier on the other...
In Manipur, tensions have reached a critical point as demands for the removal of Chief Minister Biren Singh or the appointment of a Kuki MLA as Deputy Chief Minister have escalated. The situation took a turn for the worse a day before the scheduled visit of Home Minister Amit Shah, as sporadic gunshots were reported throughout the region.
Chief Minister Biren Singh, amidst the growing unrest, has made a bold claim, stating that security forces have successfully eliminated 40 militants since the conflict began. However, these assertions have not been independently verified, leaving room for skepticism and further fueling the already volatile atmosphere.
A surge in violence was...
In a tragic road accident that occurred in the Jalukbari area of Guwahati seven engineering students died at spot last night. According to reports, a group of 10 Assam Engineering College (AEC) students traveled in a scorpio car. Seven of the students died after their vehicle colliding with a bolero pick-up van. Besides, five others including the driver and handyman of the pick-up van were seriously injured in the accident. The deceased students hailed from different parts of the state including Guwahati. They were identified as Kaushik Barua (Mangaldoi), Kaushik Mohan (Sivasagar), Raj Kiran Bhuyan (Majuli), Imon Barua (Dibrugah), Arindam Bhowal (Guwahati), Upanshu Sarma (Nagaon), and...
In a show of solidarity, Manipur fire service personnel commenced an indefinite cease-work strike on Tuesday to protest against the assault on their colleagues by personnel belonging to the 16 Jat Regiment. Firefighters are demanding immediate action against the individuals responsible for the incident, which involved a lathi charge on the firemen. Salam Jiban, the Sub-Officer of Manipur Fire Service Headquarters, stated that the strike was initiated in response to the assault on five firemen near the City Convention Centre, located just a few meters from the new check post in Imphal East. He emphasized that the fire personnel were simply carrying out their duty to extinguish a fire in the...
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