In the North East, the Citizenship Amendment Act has activated a fresh wave of nativist sentiment – By Arunabh Saikia
….In Assam, and other states of the North East, it (CAA) activated older anxieties – that communities defined as indigenous to the region would be swamped by Bengali-speaking migrants from Bangladesh….
“That the CAA would have an impact on inter-ethnic peace and harmony in Northeast India shouldn’t surprise anyone,” said political scientist Sanjib Baruah….
The insecurities that the Act had activated, Pegu said, have made the local people immune to concerns about the basic human rights of migrant communities. “They are ready to defend violence and detention centres all in the name of protecting the indigenous,” he said…. As Biswas said, “This Act will be our undoing – we have been made pawns for political gains.”
