Goa anti-CAA protesters resolve to oppose NPR, Census 2021

The two outfits were instrumental in mobilising protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Assam last December

Participants in a Church-backed anti-Citizenship Amendment Act rally in Panaji in Goa on Friday resolved not to cooperate with government agencies for the National Population Register and Census 2021 enumeration exercises.

Over 15,000 people took part in the rally, organised by the 'Goa Alliance Against CAA-NRC-NPR' and backed by Centre for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP), a wing of Goa Church, at Azad Maidan here.

"We pledge that till the CAA-NPR-NRC is withdrawn, we will not furnish any information whatsoever for the purposes of NPR or for Census 2021," read the resolution adopted at the rally.

Nabila Hassan, who fought Jamia Milia Islamia case in the High Court and JMI student Ayesha Renna addressed the gathering while JNU student Rahul Sonpimple was the guest speaker.

"We the people gathered at the rally organised by Goa Alliance Against CAA-NRC-NPR, at Azad Maidan, Panaji, Goa, on February 21, 2020, firmly resolve to ensure our Constitution and our laws shall always be founded and continue to be founded on the principles of justice, equality, secularism, socialism, democracy," the resolution read.

Therefore, we are against any form of discrimination, directly or indirectly, on grounds of religion, caste, gender, class, sexual orientation, ability, age, occupation, it added.

The speakers also raised concern over "arbitrary cancellation" of Overseas Citizen of India cards and pointed out that Goa had a large number of such card-holders.