Shillong, Feb 22: The North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) has accused the BJP-led NDA government of trying to use the Assam Rifles to oppress people’s movement for bringing back the Citizenship Amendment Bill after the Lok Sabha polls.

The statement came as a strong reaction to the notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs wherein the Centre has given sweeping powers to the Assam Rifles to arrest anyone, search any place without any warrant in the states of Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.

In a statement issued here on Friday, NESO chairman Samuel B Jyrwa condemned such unwarranted action on the part of the Centre and said, “This can be termed as state sponsored oppression which further proves of the attitude that the BJP-led Central government has towards the indigenous people of the North East.”

Jyrwa said the NESO wonders whether this move by the Central government is in any way connected to its inability to table the CAB in the just concluded session of the Rajya Sabha due to the people’s movement.

“… or to put in place the Assam Rifles personnel to oppress any peoples movement in the near future if the BJP brings back the CAB after the Lok Sabha elections,” he added.

The NESO chairman further stated that it seems that the Centre is never satisfied to subject the indigenous peoples of the North East to untold misery and suffering through AFSPA which has been in imposition for decades but more and more draconian measures are being imposed just like this notification of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

This unprovoked move by the Centre can be termed as downright tyranny on the indigenous peoples of the North East and NESO calls upon all the indigenous peoples to be united, alert and to rise to the occasion in the event of any eventuality, he said.