Thousands of people opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill or CAB took to the streets despite a curfew in Guwahati. The army has been deployed in four areas of Assam as thousands protested on Wednesday evening, clashing with policemen and plunging the state into chaos. The controversial legislation was passed with 125 voting for it and 99 against. It was cleared by the Lok Sabha two days earlier with the support of as many as 334 MPs.
Transport services to the region has been severely impacted as all train services to Assam and neighbouring Tripura have been suspended following protests. Several airlines too have cancelled flights to Guwahati and Dibrugarh.
Trust this "sevak", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today in a fervent appeal to the Northeast. The Prime Minister was campaigning in Jharkhand when he reached out to the violence-hit northeast.
Amid the protests, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also appealed the people of the state to maintain peace. He said that the CAB is a national-level bill and the people of Assam don''t need to be afraid of it. "I appeal to the people to maintain peace and not get misled", the chief minister said.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave an assurance to the people of Assam that no one can take away their rights, unique identity and beautiful culture, amid protests in parts of the state against the Citizenship Bill.
Classes in most universities and colleges were not held as students joined the protests. Gauhati and Dibrugarh Universities have postponed all examinations scheduled till December 14.
The bill has been slammed by rights groups as well as opposition parties on the grounds that it "discriminates" against Muslim migrants and violates Article 14 of the constitution. Opposition leaders, who claim that the bill can never survive "judicial scrutiny", are expected to challenge it in the Supreme Court.
