A perceived divide between the Assamese-dominated Brahmaputra Valley and the Bengali-dominated Barak Valley over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, appears to have penetrated cricket in Assam.
Four cricketers from the Barak Valley were allegedly abused and assaulted in Guwahati at an Under-16 trial camp, conducted under the School Sports Promotion Foundation, from January 22-24. The camp was meant to select the U-16 Assam team for the School India Cricket Tournament under SSPF. Newspapers from the Barak Valley reported that the boys were threatened against playing for Assam.
SSPF’s State coordinator Gautam Hazarika however, said, “Nothing of this sort happened, and one of the boys from Barak Valley got selected for the State team.”
Most indigenous groups in Brahmaputra Valley are opposed to the controversial Bill while a majority in Barak Valley want it to be made a law, fast-tracking the process of Indian citizenship for non-Muslims from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who fled religious persecution till December 31, 2014.