PM vows to protect interest of N-E people; protesters burn BJP MLA’s house
The protest over the Citizenship Amendment Bill in Assam turned violent on Thursday claiming three lives in police firing in Guwahati as thousands of people defied curfew and took to the streets.
An official of the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital said that one person was “brought dead” and another succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment.
The official said well-known RTI activist and peasant leader Akhil Gogoi was arrested in Jorhat district in a crackdown against those involved in stoking the protest.
Police said they had to open fire in Lalung Gaon area in Guwahati after stones were hurled by protesters. The agitators claimed at least four persons were injured in the shooting.
The protesters also attacked AGP headquarters in Guwahati’s Ambari area and vandalised the vehicles parked outside. The residence of a BJP MLA in the capital city was also set ablaze.
Protests also intensified in Tripura, where the Army conducted peace marches and in Meghalaya’s capital Shillong that witnessed several shops being vandalised in the commercial centre and a number of vehicles were torched.
Amid the continuing unrest in the North-East, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday appealed for calm.
In a series of tweets, in both Assamese and English, the PM said he personally and the Central Government are “totally committed to constitutionally safeguard the political, linguistic, cultural and land rights of the Assamese people as per the spirit of Clause 6.”
Clause 6 of the Assam Accord guarantees safeguarding local rights, language and culture.
“I want to assure my brothers and sisters of Assam that they have nothing to worry after the passing of #CAB (sic),” Modi tweeted.
“No one can take away your rights, unique identity and beautiful culture. It will continue to flourish and grow,” he said in his tweet.
Internet services in 10 districts of Assam were suspended for another 48 hours beginning 12 pm to prevent “misuse” of social media to disturb peace and tranquility, and to maintain law and order, officials said.
Worsening law and order situation led the Railways to suspend all passenger train services in Tripura and Assam and short-terminate long distance trains to the region at Guwahati following protests in the two States over the passage of CAB.
After a railway station in Dibrugarh’s Chabua, the hometown of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, was set on fire late on Wednesday night besides the Panitola railway station in Tinsukia, 12 companies of the Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) have been dispatched to the region, RPF chief Arun Kumar told an agency in Delhi.
“Passengers are stranded and we are trying to help them as much as possible. We are mulling to run special trains to ferry these passengers, but are still weighing if the risk is worth it.
An unspecified number of flights to the North-East, including Guwahati were rescheduled or cancelled.
Amid the raging protests, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry issued an advisory to private satellite TV channels to be cautious about airing content that is likely to incite violence.
The advisory was issued after some TV channels showed footage of violent protests.
Heads rolled in the police establishment due to apparent failure in containing the incessant protests with the State Government removing Guwahati Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar and appointing Munna Prasad Gupta in his place.
Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Mukesh Agarwal was also transferred and replaced with ADGP (CID) GP Singh.
The streets of Guwahati and other cities reverberated with anti-Government slogans as thousands marched through the streets to attend a rally called by the All Assam Students Union (AASU) at Latashil ground.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal have betrayed the people of Assam by ensuring passage of the Bill,” AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya told the crowd.
Leaders of the AASU and the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) said they will observe December 12 as ‘Black Day’ every year in protest against the passage of the Bill in Parliament.
Apart from Guwahati and Dibrugarh, where an indefinite curfew is in place, the prohibitory measure has been imposed in Jorhat from 6 pm to 6 am to prevent vandalism at night, Deputy Commissioner Roshni Korati said.
Five columns of Army, comprising around 70 personnel each, have been deployed in Assam and are conducting flag marches in important cities like Guwahati, Tinsukia, Jorhat and Dibrugarh.
The Meghalaya Government also withdrew mobile Internet and messaging services across the State for the next 48 hours due to deteriorating law and order situation following protests over CAB.