Guwahati, the epicentre of anti-CAB protests, was placed under indefinite curfew on Wednesday night while the Army was called in at four places after protests broke out across the city. Internet has been shut down in 10 districts in Assam and curfew imposed in Guwahati and Dibrugarh.
Assam Rifles personnel were deployed in Tripura as the northeastern state plunged into chaos over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill or CAB which seeks to give Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Protests have been called in Assam today as tension remains high after protesters defied curfew on Wednesday night. Vehicles were stranded in various cities of Assam due to heavy blockade. Half-a dozen vehicles were burnt. The houses of BJP and AGP leaders were attacked in various parts of the state.
Get all updates here:
12: 10 PM: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal says, “I appeal to the people to maintain peace and not get misled.”
12:00 PM: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, “In Rajya Sabha, the Home Minister said that the situation across the country is normal, but it does not appear to be normal. Before the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was tabled in the Parliament, the emotions of North Eastern people were not gauged and properly communicated.”
11:45 PM: “My uncle’s shop was set on fire and the boundary wall of my house was also damaged by protestors last night around 11 pm. I appeal to the people of Assam to maintain peace.” said Union Minister and BJP MP from Assam’s Dibrugarh, Rameshwar Teli.
11:30 PM: Several airlines, including IndiGo, Go Air, Vistara and SpiceJet, have announced that flights to Guwahati and Dibrugarh have been cancelled on Thursday and Friday and passengers travelling to these two cities will be offered a waiver on cancellation or rescheduling fee.
11:00 AM: Railways has suspended all passenger train services in Tripura and Assam and short-terminated long-distance trains to the region from Guwahati following protests in the two states.
After a railway station in Dibrugarh’s Chabua was set on fire by protestors late Wednesday night and the Panitola railway station in Tinsukia district was torched, 12 companies of the Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) have been dispatched to the region.
10.30 AM: Assam’s students’ body AASU and peasants organisation KMSS have asked people to step out of their homes at 11 am
10:00 AM: Army conducted a flag march in the city on Thursday morning even as protesters defied curfew to take to the streets in Assam’s capital Guwahati.
