Police opens fire in Assam as protests turn violent over Citizenship (Amendment) Bill
Defying the curfew in Guwahati, the capital city of Assam, thousands of people took to the street today, i.e., December 12, 2019, to protest against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
Expressing anger, the protestors hurled stones at the Police. To control the unleashed protestors, the Police had to open fire in Lalung Gaon area in Guwahati. There are reports that 4 people have been injured during the shooting.
The protest comes in the wake of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill being cleared by the Upper House of the Parliament – Rajya Sabha yesterday, i.e., December 11, 2019, with 125 Member of Parliaments (MPs) voting in favour of the Bill and 99 voting against the Bill. Prior to this, the Bill was passed by the Lower House of the Parliament – Lok Sabha on December 9, 2019.
All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), the student’s organisation in Assam and Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), a peasants’ body in Assam called for a mega gathering at Latashil Playground in Guwahati, which was attended by hundreds of people.
Accusing the Prime Minister of India – Narendra Modi and the Chief Minister of Assam – Sarbananda Sonowal of betraying them, the AASU Advisor – Samujjal Bhattacharya said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal have betrayed the people of Assam by ensuring passage of the Bill.”
AASU and North East Students’ Organization (NESO) have declared to observed December 12, 2019 as a ‘Black Day’ every year.
Protests across the State
Police also resorted to firing in air at Guwahati-Shillong Road where protestors vandalized shops, buildings, burned tyres and clashed with the security forces.
In the Kamrup District of Assam, there was complete shutdown of schools, offices and shops. There was no traffic on the streets. Separately, in the Rangia town in Kamrup District of Assam, police fired 3 rounds in air after protestors burned tyres and threw stones at the police. Air shots were also fired in Golaghat District of Assam.
A total of 5 columns of the Army have been deployed in different parts of the State who are conducting flag marches in Guwahati, Tinsukia, Jorhat and Dibrugarh.
Trains and Flights Affected
As a security measure, the Indian Railways has suspended all local train services in Tripura and Assam and has short-terminated long-distance trains in Guwahati. Flights to Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Jorhat have also been cancelled and the airlines are offering fee waiver for bookings till December 13, 2019.
Assuring people of the importance of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, Narendra Modi reached out to the people of Assam in an election rally at Jharkhand. He said that people of Assam need not to wo worry about the Bill.
Modi reaches out to people of Assam
In a series of tweets, in both Assamese and English, Modi tweeted, “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.”
I want to assure my brothers and sisters of Assam that they have nothing to worry after the passing of #CAB.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2019
I want to assure them- no one can take away your rights, unique identity and beautiful culture. It will continue to flourish and grow.
He further tweeted, “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.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2019
The Assam Accord and Clause 6
he Assam Accord was a Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) signed between representatives of the Government of India and the leaders of the Assam Movement in New Delhi on August 15, 1985, ending a 6-year agitation demanding identification and deportation of illegal foreign (Bangladeshi) immigrants. It was launched by AASU in 1979.
Clause 6 of the Assam Accord states, “Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate, shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.”
What is Citizenship (Amendment) Bill?
It is to be noted that Citizenship (Amendment) Bill seeks to change the 6 decades old Citizenship Act and grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan facing religious persecution in these neighbouring countries. It was first proposed by the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) in 2014, as a part of their election campaign, ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
The people of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities, who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, till December 31, 2014, will not be treated as illegal immigrants, but will be given Indian citizenship.
