Nagaon: A citizens’ forum in Assam’s Nagaon district on Tuesday opposed the government’s decision to give arms licences to indigenous people for protection.The Nagaon Nagarik Sabha (NNS) held a protest in the town on Monday evening and demanded that the government withdraw the decision.The Assam Cabinet had, on May 28, decided that the government would give arms licences to indigenous people living in the “vulnerable and remote” areas to instil a sense of security in them.”We don’t need a communal pistol. We need irrigation to save our dry agricultural fields, we need jobs, we need land rights, like what the government is giving to big corporate houses,” NNS Secretary Birinchi Bora told reporters here.He claimed that the government is preparing to issue arms licences to a section of society only to divert the attention of citizens from the alleged failure of the administration.”If a situation like Manipur arises in Assam tomorrow, will the ministers and ruling party MLAs, surviving safely inside their bullet-proof cars, take responsibility for the common people and children?” asked Bora.He appealed to the people of Assam to keep a distance from the “communal agenda” of the ruling BJP, which is trying to “cover up their scams”.After the cabinet decision on arms licence, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma had addressed a press meet and said some of the districts in the “vulnerable and remote areas” were Dhubri, Morigaon, Barpeta, Nagaon and South Salmara-Mankachar.He also named some other localities like Rupahi, Dhing and Jania.The areas and districts that Sarma had mentioned are all minority-dominated places.The CM had claimed that indigenous people in such areas have been demanding arms licences for safety purposes since the Assam Agitation period, which took place in 1979-85.On July 24, Sarma batted for his government’s decision to give arms licences to indigenous people, claiming that they will survive only if firearms are provided to them.On July 23, he had said that the public would be able to procure arms licences through a dedicated portal from August.”We are streamlining the existing process to issue arms licenses to the indigenous community in vulnerable areas,” he had added.
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