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Guwahati, Jan. 19 (PTI): Hundreds of women hit the streets here on Sunday protesting against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, even as public rallies were held across the state.
Artistes, journalists, writers and women from other fields joined in large numbers at Latasil playground and marched to Chandmari area of Guwahati and vowed to continue their agitation till the CAA is repealed.
"Women have been at the forefront in Assam protests. Today also we have come out in large numbers for the state. The government is trying to lure us through various means.
But they should withdraw the Act and then all the protests will end," film actress Barsha Rani Bishaya said.
The government is stating that five lakh people will benefit through CAA, but the people of Assam are not ready to accept a single Bangladeshi after 1971, she added.
Senior journalist Ratna Bharali Talukdar said: "We will not accept this Act at any cost. It will endanger the culture, identity and history of Assam as well as North East.
So, we all have to be united in our fight against this Act."
In Bengali Hindu dominated Hojai, a huge gathering took place during a protest rally, in which senior journalist Ajit Bhuyan urged people to continue their movement till the "anti-people" Act is withdrawn.
Thousands of people in Tezpur participated in an agitational programme organised by the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chhatra Parishad (AJYCP).
A large number of people participated in similar protest rallies in Simaluguri, Moran, Duliajan, Nagarbera, Doom Dooma, Rupai, Rangia and many other places.
The CAA seeks to provide Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis entering India on or before December 31, 2014, from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after five years of residence here.