Thousands of protesters were out on the streets defying curfew in Assam, protesting the Citizenship Amendment Bill, now an Act. Curfew was imposed in Assam’s Guwahati and Dibrugarh since yesterday after violent protests kept increasing throughout the day – as the bill was being discussed in the Rajya Sabha, and eventually passed in the lower house of the Parliament.
Curfew has been imposed indefinitely, but the protesters have defied it all through Thursday. Around 300 protesters have been detained across Assam, said Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta.
Asom Gana Parishad headquarters in Guwahati’s Ambari area attacked by protestors, and vehicles parked outside were vandalised. BJP lawmaker Binod Hazarika’s house in Assam’s Dibrugarh was set on fire. A circle office in Chabua town was also burned down by protesters.
All Assam Students’ Union, and a peasants’ body Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti urged people to join the protest in Guwahati’s Latashil ground this morning. Thousands of people gathered on the ground since 11 am.
Army had been deployed in Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Jorhat districts since yesterday following violent clashes between protesters and the police. All educational institutes in the state remained closed, Internet services were suspended in 10 districts, several flights were also cancelled to and from Dibrugarh. Transport – including train services in Assam and Tripura – has been affected. In Tripura, mobile messaging service was suspended along with Internet services.
At around 2:30 pm on Thursday, Guwahati police commissioner Deepak Kumar was removed and Munna Prasad Gupta took charge in his place. The Additional General of Police (Law and Order) Mukesh Agarwal was also transferred.
Meanwhile, The Indian Union Muslim League on Thursday moved the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the amendments to the Citizenship Act. It excludes Muslims from three neighbouring countries from applying for Indian citizenship.
The government meanwhile, has been reiterating that the rights of people will be protected.
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