Sarbananda Sonowal Stranded At Guwahati Airport Amid Massive Protests Against CAB

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday got stranded at Guwahati’s Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport and was unable to enter the city due to massive protest against the Modi government’s contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill.

The Indian Army earlier said that the civil administration has requested its assistance in maintaining the law and order situation in Assam and Tripura in the wake of the protests over the Citizenship Amendment Bill.

"Three Army columns requisitioned by civil administration so far in Tripura and Assam. Two (Tripura) are deployed and third (Assam) is standby," the Army statement said.

Amid violent protests against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, Army has been deployed in North Eastern states of Assam and Tripura. While two columns have been sent to Kanchanpur and Manu areas of Tripura, a third has been dispatched to Bongaingon in Assam. The move to deploy the Army has come after violent clashes erupted in these areas between the protesters and police.

Thousands in Guwahati took to streets against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, that seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslims from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The protesters clashed with police and blocked the key GS road in the capital city of Assam, largest state in the North East. The police lathi-charged and fired tear gas shells to disperse the protesters demanding rollback of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

Several students were reportedly injured in the brutal police lathcharge. "This is a barbaric government led by Sarbananda Sonowal. We will not succumb to any pressure till the CAB is repealed," the students said.

Students in large numbers were seen proceeding towards the Secretariat from all directions. Another group has reached Ganeshguri area, around 500 metres from the centre of power. They broke a barricade on GS Road following which the police resorted to lathi charge. Teargas shells were also lobbed at the students who also threw the shells back at the policemen.

Apart from Guwahati, clashes between police and protestors also erupted in Dibrugarh district. The police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets at demonstrators. Though no organisation has called for a bandh on Wednesday, people have come out in large numbers in Jorhat, Golaghat, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sivasagar, Bongaigaon, Nagaon, Sonitpur and several other districts since morning.