CAB Protests: Northeast On Boil, After Assam, Curfew Clamped In Shillong On Thursday

Anti-Citizenship Bill protests engulfed the northeastern states of Assam and Tripura on Thursday. Tens of thousands of protesters demanding revocation of the Citizenship Amendment Bill or CAB, cleared by Parliament on Wednesday, clashed with police and set several vehicles on fire. The protesters attacked the houses of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Union Minister Rameswar Teli. A railway station in Dibrugarh’s Chabua, the hometown of the chief minister, was set on fire by protestors late in the night. The Panitola railway station in Tinsukia district was also torched, a Northeast Frontier Railway spokesperson said.

Below are the live updates:

9.50 pm: Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma postpones scheduled meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah as his cabinet colleagues couldn't reach Guwahati airport to board a plane to Delhi, amid curfew and violent protests in Assam.

8.30 pm: Bus terminus set on fire in Assam's Dibrugarh in protests over Citizenship Amendment Bill.

8.00 pm: Curfew clamped in Shillong, internet suspended. 

7.44 pm: Two persons, protesting against Citizenship(Amendment) Bill, died of bullet injuries at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital.

7.13 pm: 3 more Goan Panchayat offices burnt in Tinsukia district.

7.12 pm: Tinsukia district administration clamps 12-hour curfew from 5 pm on Thursday till 5 am on Friday.

7.11 pm: Superintendent of Dibrugarh police Gautam Bora transferred. He will be replaced by IPS officer Sreejith T, presently posted as SP Dima Hasao.

5.50 pm: Deepak Kumar, who was substantively posted as ADGP (Special Branch) & allowed to function as Police Commissioner,Guwahati is transferred & posted as Additional Director General of Police (Training & Armed Police), Assam. He's also posted as ADGP (STF), as additional charge.

#4.48 pm: Amid growing tensions, Airlines cancel flights to Assam

#4.19 pm: Curfew to be imposed in Tinsukia from 5 pm today.

#04.05 pm: Actor and Assam BJP leader Jatin Bora resigned from the party.

#03:10 pm: Police shoots protesters in Guwahati's Lalungaonn area. Several injured, reports news agency PTI.

#03:05 pm: Union Home Minister Amit Shah to visit North-Eastern Police Academy in Shillong (Meghalaya) on December 15.

#03:00 pm: Assam CM Sarbananada Sonowal: I assure that PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have very categorically stated the centre is committed to implement the Clause 6 of Assam Accord in letter and spirit to ensure the constitutional safeguard to the people of Assam politically, culturally.

#02:45 pm: Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen cancels his visit to India. He was scheduled to visit India from December 12-14, reports news agency ANI.

#01:50 pm: Guwahati Police Commissioner Removed: Guwahati Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar has been removed amid violent protests over Citizenship Amendment Bill. According to news agency PTI, Munna Prasad Gupta has been appointed as the new police chief of Guwahati.

#01:30 pm: Internet Service Suspended in Assam: Internet services in Assam suspended for another 48 hours, beginning from 12 noon today.

#01:15 pm: Tension being fueled in northeast, says PM Modi: "There are attempts to fuel tensions in the Northeast region. Most of the region is out of the ambit of this bill but politics of Congress and its allies depends on illegal immigrants... Congress in the past had promised relief to persecuted minority refugees but never did anything for them. The condition in which they were living in Pakistan, similar treatment was given by Congress governments to them," PM Modi said.

#12:50 pm: Government Accuses Congress For Assam Protests: The government accused the Congress on Thursday of instigating violence in the northeast after the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Parliament. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Jodhi alleged that the Congress was instigating violence in the region and the government condemns it.

#12:30 pm: Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad: Unrest is across the country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. But worst situation is in northeastern states, as a result of the passage of Citizenship Amendment Bill in both Houses. People of northeast, irrespective of religion, are against bill.

#12:05 pm: Assam CM appeals or peace: Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal: I appeal to the people to maintain peace and not get misled.

#11:55 am: Congress Takes Dig On Modi's Reassurance Tweet: "Our brothers & sisters in Assam cannot read your 'reassuring' message Modiji, in case you've forgotten, their internet has been cut off," tweets Congress.

#11:40 am: Left Announces Nation-Wide Protests Against CAB, NRC On December 19: Left parties to organise protest against Citizenship Amendment Bill and National Register of Citizens (NRC) across the country, on December 19.

#11:35 am: Happy That Parliament Cleared CAB, Says BJP's Ram Madhav: We are happy that the Citizenship Amendment Bill has been passed in both the Houses of the Parliament & it will soon become an Act. It'll give great relief to millions of refugees who came to India decades ago&are living here as stateless people.

#11:30 am: RPSF troops deployed to Assam: 12 companies of the Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) have been dispatched to Assam after railway stations were torched by anti-CAB protesters.

#11:25 am: All Train Services To Tripura, Assam Suspended: Railways has suspended all passenger train services in Tripura and Assam and short-terminated long distance trains to the region to Guwahati following protests in the two states over the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill in Parliament.

#11:20 am: Union Minister Rameshwar Teli, Whose House Was Attacked By Protesters, Appeal For Peace: "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," Teli said.

#11:15 am: Union Minister Jitendra Singh Accuses Congress of instigating people: "Situation in northeast will improve soon. the Congress party is trying to instigate people," he said.

#10:55 am: Adjournment Motion Notice In Lok Sabha Over Northeast turmoil: Congress MPs Manicka Tagore and Abdul Khaleque have given Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha, over 'highly volatile situation' in northeast India after Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019' 

#10:50 am: Indian Union Muslim League To Challenge CAB In Supreme Court: Amid the massive protests in the Northeast India, the Indian Union Muslim League on Thursday moved the Supreme Court against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019.

#10:30 am: Ranji Trophy games in Guwahati, Agartala suspended: Day four proceedings of the Ranji Trophy games in Guwahati and Agartala were on Thursday suspended due to the curfew imposed in the region following protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

#10:25 am: Adjournment Motion Notice In Lok Sabha over unrest in north east: Congress MPs Adhir Ranjan Chaudhry, K Suresh and Gaurav Gogoi have given Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha, over 'unrest in north eastern states & law & order situation'

#10:20 am: Indigo flights to/from Dibrugarh cancelled: "Due to prevailing situation in Assam, flights to/from Dibrugarh are cancelled for today (12th Dec, 2019); flyers can choose an alternate flight or get a refund," IndiGo said in a statement.

#10:15 am: Kolkata Airport Official: All flights have been cancelled from Kolkata (West Bengal) to Dibrugarh sector (Assam).

#10:10 am: Congress MP Ripun Bora has given 'Suspension of Business Notice' in Rajya Sabha under rule 267, over 'current situation of Assam and northeast region'

#10:05 am: People defy curfew to hit streets against CAB: The people defied curfew in Guwahati on Thursday morning to protest against the Citizen (Amendment) Bill as the situation remained tense throughout Assam, with the Army conducting flag march in the city. Guwahati, the epicentre of anti-CAB protests, was placed under indefinite curfew last night.

#10:00 am: PM Modi issues statement assuring people of Assam: I want to assure my brothers and sisters of Assam that they have nothing to worry after the passing of CAB. I want to assure them- no one can take away your rights, unique identity and beautiful culture. It will continue to flourish and grow. The Central Government and I are totally committed to constitutionally safeguard the political, linguistic, cultural and land rights of the Assamese people as per the spirit of Clause 6. The Central Government and I are totally committed to constitutionally safeguard the political, linguistic, cultural and land rights of the Assamese people as per the spirit of Clause 6.