Amid protests at various places against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, especially in the Northeast, Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy on Friday stirred fresh controversy when he said those who do not want “divisive democracy” should go to North Korea.

Roy took to Twitter and said, “A democracy is necessarily divisive. If you do not want it go to North Korea.” His tweet came hours before protesters reached the entrance of the Raj Bhavan, tried to breach security following which they were lathi-charged and police used tear-gas and seriously injured several protesters.

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“Two things should never be lost sight of in the present atmosphere of controversy. 1. The country was once divided in the name of religion. 2. A democracy is NECESSARILY DIVISIVE. If you don’t want it go to North Korea,” he wrote in obvious rederence to dictatorship in North Korea, which is ruled by  Kim Jong-Un.

Two things should never be lost sight of in the present atmosphere of controversy.
1. The country was once divided in the name of religion.
2. A democracy is NECESSARILY DIVISIVE. If you don’t want it go to North Korea.

— Tathagata Roy (@tathagata2) December 13, 2019

Two police personnel were also injured in the scuffle.

The protesters were demanding the Governor to give his assent to the proposed ordinance that seeks mandatory registration of outsiders entering the state and at the same time for the Centre to implement the Inner Line Permit in the state.

President Ram Nath Kovind, in a late Thursday night order, gave his assent to The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, letting it become an Act allowing Indian citizenship to six non-Muslim minority migrants facing religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

According to the Act, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities, who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, till December 31, 2014, facing religious persecution there, will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.

The passing of the Citizenship Bill in the Parliament has plunged the northeast, especially the states of Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya into deep chaos with locals and students hitting the streets in thousands in protest.

The indigenous people of the northeastern states are worried that the entry of these people will endanger their identity and livelihood.

(With PTI inputs)