The Asom Songrami Manch (ASM), a regional political party in Assam, has sought the intervention of the United Nations and other international forums against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

The ASM recently submitted petitions at various organizations of United Nations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Secretariat of Indigenous Peoples and Development Branch and the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights, and requested intervention of the United Nations Organisation.

“India doesn’t need a controversial xenophobic act like CAA, rather it needs a comprehensive Refugee Policy with strict compliance to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” the Manch said in a statement in Guwahati on February 14.

The party further alleged that CAA is not only discriminatory in nature and against the spirit of Constitution, but also posing a grave danger to the identity and existence of the indigenous people of Northeast India and Assam in particular.

“In spite of wide-spread spontaneous democratic protests by general public, various organizations and citizen forums, the government is very much adamant to go ahead with CAA. As this act (CAA) deals with the matter related to ‘Refugee’ from other countries due to persecution, this is not an internal matter of India and therefore, needs to be considered its compliance and validity under the obligation of the Charter of the United Nations and various International Human Rights instruments,” the statement added.

The Manch has urged the international bodies to consider compatibility and validity of Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 under the spirit of Universal Declaration of Human Right.

It has also urged to confirm religious persecution and fulfilment of subjectively genuineness and objectively reasonable ground and to issue ‘Refugee Certificate’ to all eligible religiously persecuted persons without any discrimination under supervision of UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees).

It further urged to ensure that the language, culture, demographics and economic well being of the indigenous population of Assam is protected as per the principles of United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

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