Singer Papon has cancelled his upcoming concert in Delhi in light of the growing unrest in his home state of Assam over protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), which was passed in the Rajya Sabha on 11 December. The concert was scheduled for Friday, 13 December. The artiste announced the news on Twitter saying that he would not in a frame of mind to perform while Assam was “burning, crying and under curfew”.
He tweeted, “Dear Delhi, I am very sorry but I have decided not to do the concert tomorrow at ‘Imperfectoshor’ as planned! My home state Assam is burning, crying and under curfew! I won’t be able to entertain you the way I should in my present state of mind!”
Speaking against the CAB, Papon said that Assam “has been burdened with illegal immigration for decades” and that the “diverse, complex mix of Assamese culture and people and their existence needs to be understood”. “We need to be heard properly,” he tweeted.
Assamese actor Adil Hussain also criticised the CAB, tweeting that said it has "massacred” our “fundamental identity as humans”. “Assam, very painfully slowly, was recovering from 2.5 decades of unrest from 1979. Things were becoming a bit normal. Now, the wisdom of our Leadership failed to understand the complexities of Assamese cultural fabric. The decision to impose CAB is the most unwise ever,” he wrote.
The bill has led to a slew of protests across India, especially large parts of the northeast. The state government has imposed a curfew on 10 districts in Assam, including the capital Guwahati and Dibrugarh. Internet has also been suspended in several districts of Assam following the widespread protests.Train and flight services to and from Assam were also suspended on 12 December.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)