CAB: 2 Protesters Killed In Assam As Thousands Defy Curfew; Bill Gets President's Assent

Protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill continued to rock Northeastern states of the country with two people being killed in police firing in Assam on Thursday. Meanwhile, the central government tried to reach out and address concerns of those protesting the bill with Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowing his government was committed to safeguarding their rights. Several towns and cities were placed under indefinite curfew, including Guwahati, the epicentre of protests, besides Dibrugarh, Tezpur and Dhekiajuli. Night curfew was imposed in Jorhat, Golaghat, Tinsukia and Charaideo districts, officials said.

Meanwhile, CAB has now become the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 after getting the assent of President Ram Nath Kovind. The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday approved the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, completing the legislative procedure for giving Indian citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Two persons were shot dead by security forces in Guwahati, which has turned into a garrison town with Army, paramilitary and state police personnel present in every nook and corner. An official of the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital told PTI that one person was brought dead and another succumbed to injuries during treatment. However, protesters claimed three people had died in police firing. Hospital sources said 11 people were brought there with gunshot injuries.

Incidents of police firing were reported from several places in Guwahati including Hatigaon, Lachitnagar, Bashishta, Downtown, Ganeshguri and Lalungaon. Frenzied mobs blocked roads with burning discarded tyres and menaced commuters by bludgeoning their vehicles with sticks and stones.

Internet Services Remain Suspended

Internet services in 10 districts 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. Internet services will remain suspended in Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Kamrup (Metro) and Kamrup, Additional Chief Secretary (Home and Political department) Sanjay Krishna told PTI.

Mobile internet and messaging services were also suspended in neighbouring Meghalaya for 48 hours since 5 pm on Thursday after incidents of vandalisation of vehicles. Areas under two police stations in Meghalaya capital Shillong were placed under curfew. Though no major incident of violence was reported from Tripura, state capital Agartala observed a shutdown, with educational institutions and offices closed.

Police also opened fire at Madhavdham in Tezpur when a person allegedly belonging to a Hindu right organisation ploughed his vehicle through a group of protesters, injuring four people. Protesters overpowered the man, set his vehicle ablaze and assaulted him, prompting police firing, an official said.

RSS offices was vandalised in Amolapatty in Golaghat, besides places like Dibrugarh, Sadiya and Tezpur. Residences of Handloom Minister Ranjit Dutta at Behali, and BJP MLAs Padma Hazarika at Sootea and Binod Hazarika in Chabua were also attacked.

Prime Minister Reaches Out

In a series of tweets, in both Assamese and English, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi 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 wrote on the microblogging site.

"No one can take away your rights, unique identity and beautiful culture. It will continue to flourish and grow," he said as the state plunged deeper into chaos and violence.

Will Try To Address Concerns, Amit Shah Assures Tripura Leaders 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday assured a delegation of the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), a BJP ally, that the Modi government would try to address their concerns over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. The home minister also had a separate meeting with Kirit Pradyot Deb Barman, the head of the royal family of Tripura, and Tripura People's Front (TPF) president Patal Kanya Jamatia on the matter.

The Joint Movement Against Citizenship Amendment Bill (JMCCAB) on Wednesday called off its indefinite strike against the legislation, following an assurance of a meeting with the Union Home Minister.

Railways Suspends All Passenger Train Services

The Railways has suspended all passenger train services in Tripura and Assam and short-terminated long distance trains to the region. The decision was taken on Wednesday night in view of the security situation in the region, Northeast Frontier Railway spokesperson Subhanan Chanda said, adding many passengers are stranded in Kamakhya and Guwahati.

After a railway station in Dibrugarhs Chabua, the hometown of the Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, was set on fire late 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 PTI in the national capital.

"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."

"It might be a security threat for passengers if protesters stop the trains. As of now all passenger trains have been suspended and trains from outside the region are being short terminated at Guwahati," Chanda said.

An unspecified number of flights to the northeast including Guwahati were rescheduled or cancelled, an official of the Kolkata airport said.

Police Officers Transferred

Heads rolled in the police establishment because of incessant protests with the states BJP 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 by ADGP (CID) GP Singh.

As protests continued, the Information and Broadcasting ministry issued an advisory to private satellite TV channels to be cautious about airing content is likely to incite violence, promote anti-national attitudes and contain anything affecting the integrity of the nation. The advisory was issued after some TV channels showed footage of violent protests.