Live: West Bengal on the boil; curfew relaxed in parts of Assam, Meghalaya
Road and rail blockades continued in different parts of West Bengal by people protesting against the amended Citizenship Act
8:30pm: Joint CSIR-UGC NET exam for candidates from Assam and Meghalaya has been postponed in the wake of unrest in the region.
7:30pm: Tripura royal scion and chairperson of Joint Movement Against Citizenship Amendment Bill (JMACAB) has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the new citizenship law, reports The Indian Express.
7:00pm: Curfew has been relaxed today in Assam's Guwahati and Meghalaya's Shillong after improved conditions, Press Trust of India reports.
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6:45pm: Scores of people gathered at Delhi's Jantar Mantar to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
People from all walks of life came out in solidarity with those opposing the new law. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has closed entry and exit gates at Janpath metro station in view of the protest, reports Press Trust of India.
6:15pm: Assam govt employees' association announces cease work on December 18 to protest against amended Citizenship Act, reports The Indian Express.
5:45pm: Several countries, including the US, UK, Israel, Canada and Singapore, have asked their citizens to exercise caution while travelling to the Northeast India which has witnessed violent protests against the amended Citizenship Act, reports Press Trust of India.
5:30pm: Road and rail blockades continued in different parts of West Bengal by people protesting against the amended Citizenship Act, officials said.
Incidents of violence were reported from Murshidabad and North 24 Paraganas districts, and rural Howrah, Press Trust of India reported quoting police.
5:00pm: Sonia Gandhi at Bharat Bachao Rally (Save India Rally) said that the citizenship amendment bill will destroy the country as it has (destroyed) northeast India, reports The Indian Express.
"CAB, which the BJP government has brought in, will destroy the country as it has in the northeast. But I guarantee whoever will get injustice, Congress will stand with them," she said.
4:45pm: Railways is running special trains from Guwahati to help stranded passengers in Assam, where protests are underway against the Citizenship Amendment Act, Press Trust of India reports quoting officials.
4:15pm: Mamata warns of strict action amid vandalism across Bengal over citizenship law.
"Do not take up law in your hand. Do not put up road blockades and rail blockades and create trouble for the common people on the roads," Mamata Banerjee said in a statement released from the West Bengal chief minister's office.
"Do not cause damage to government properties. Strict action would be taken against those who are found guilty in creating disturbances," the statement quoted her as saying.
2:55pm: I assure northeast states that their culture, social identity, language and political rights will be untouched and Modi govt will protect them, says Amit Shah.
2:15pm: Muslims in Punjab's Ludhiana hold a rally against Citizenship Amendment Bill on Saturday.
1:30pm: Internet remains suspended in 10 districts of Assam. Violent protests and street arson seemed to be simmering down in Assam on Friday with the administration claiming that no major incidents of violence were reported in Guwahati, and agitation leaders announcing that the protests will be held only during the day.
Meanwhile, three policemen and at least 63 protesters were injured in Meghalaya's capital Shillong on Friday after thousands of protesters attempted to storm into the Governor's House as police resorted to lathicharge and tear gas shelling to disburse the crowd, a senior police officer said.
01:00pm: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi at party's 'Bharat Bachao' rally in Delhi on Saturday chanted "BJP hai toh mumkin hai" slogan but turned it around to hit back at the ruling party with a sharp jibe.
"...Har bus stop, har akhbar pe dikhta hai 'Modi hai to mumkin hai'. Asliyat ye hai ki 'BJP hai to Rs 100 kilo ki pyaaz hai, BJP hai to 45 saal mein sabse zyada berozgari mumkin hai, BJP hai to 4 cr naukriyan nasht hona mumkin hai (Be it a bus stop or a paper, we see Modi hai toh mumkin hai everywhere. The truth is onions selling at Rs 100 a kilo is possible because of the BJP; it is because of the BJP that unemployment rate is at its highest since last 45 years is possible; it is because of the BJP that four crore jobs have been lost)," said the Congress leader.
11:15am: Road and rail blockades continued in different parts of West Bengal on Saturday by people protesting against the amended Citizenship Act. Incidents of violence were reported from Murshidabad and North 24 Paraganas districts, and rural Howrah, police said.
11:00am: Curfew, imposed in Meghalaya's Shillong amid protests against amended Citizenship Act, relaxed from 10 am to 7 pm due to improved situation.
10:30am: Congress leaders led by party chief Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh will participate in the 'Bharat Bachao' rally at Ramlila grounds on Saturday to highlight the "divisive and disruptive" policies of the BJP government. Rahul Gandhi and other top leaders will highlight the "failures" of the Modi government and its alleged attempt to divide the country and its people during the rally.
The party is expected to corner government on a range of issues, including the state of the economy, the amended Citizenship Act, crime against women in India and farmers' distress.
10:00am: Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal has given a call for a Bihar bandh on December 21 in protest against the amended Citizenship Act, alleging that it has blown the Constitution to smithereens. "The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is a black legislation that has blown the Constitution to smithereens. We appeal to all secular parties, non-political outfits and common citizens who have faith in the Constitution and the principle of justice to wholeheartedly support the bandh and help us make it a success," Tejashwi Yadav tweeted
9am, Saturday: The US, the UK, France and Israel have issued travel advisories following violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in parts of the northeast, advising their citizens either not to travel to the region or to exercise caution.
10:00pm, Friday: The Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy on Friday stoked controversy by asking those who do not want "divisive democracy" to go to North Korea. A democracy is NECESSARILY DIVISIVE. If you do not want it go to North Korea," Roy tweeted during the day.
The Governor was apparently backing the new Citizenship Act.
9:30pm: Guwahati roads wore a deserted look on Friday evening. No violence or vandalism reported.
However, the city still had heavy security deployed across it, curfew still on. Internet services too remained suspended, reports The Indian Express.
9:00pm: Agitators blocked railway tracks and vandalised stations in West Bengals Uluberia and Diamond Harbour area, leaving several passengers stranded during the day, reports The Indian Express.
8:30pm: The parliamentary panel on Indian home affairs has postponed its field visit to Assam in view of widespread protests in the city over the amended citizenship law.
8:20pm: Assam and other North-Eastern states may face fuel supply issues if the agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Act continues for another week, as it has already led to the shutdown of refineries and oil-producing facilities in the region, reports The Press Trust of India.
8:00pm: Protests over the amended Citizenship Act erupted in West Bengal too, with agitators resorting to violence and arson at railway stations across the state, seeking immediate revocation of the law.
According to police sources, people in the minority-dominated districts of rural Howrah, Murshidabad, Birbhum, parts of Burdwan and North Bengal hit the streets in the morning, raising slogans against the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre, reports Press Trust of India.
7:00pm: Protests against the amended Citizenship Act continued to rage across northeast, with students' unions in Arunachal Pradesh boycotting their examination to hit the streets across cities, seeking immediate revocation of the law.
Thousands of agitators, led by Rajiv Gandhi University Students' Union (RGUSU) and Students' Union of NERIST (SUN), marched from the varsity to Raj Bhavan, covering a distance of around 30 km on the hilly terrain, reports Press Trust of India.
06:20pm: The All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) demanded that the Centre and the state government should make their stand clear on the Chakma-Hajong refugees, who are likely to get citizenship status after passing of the Citizenship Amendment Bill in both houses of the Parliament, reports the Press Trust of India.
6:10pm: Entry and exit gates at all stations have been opened in Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. Normal services have resumed in all stations.
6:00pm: State governments have no powers to reject the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 as the legislation was enacted under the Union List of the 7th Schedule of the Constitution, a top official said on Friday.
"The states have no powers to deny implementation of a central law which is in the Union List," Press Trust of India reports quoting the top official from the Home Ministry.
5:30pm: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has closed entry and exit gates of Patel Chowk and Janpath metro stations.
"As advised by Delhi Police, entry & exit at Patel Chowk and Janpath have been closed. Trains will not be halting at these stations," DMRC said on twitter.
05:15pm: The United Nations human rights office voiced concern that India's new citizenship law is "fundamentally discriminatory in nature" by excluding Muslims and called for it to be reviewed.
5:00pm: Beldanga railway station complex in West Bengal's Murshidabad district was set on fire on Friday by people protesting against amended Citizenship Act, reports The Indian Express quoting Railway Protection Force officials.
4:30pm: The students of Jamia Millia Islamia University is protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill that was passed in the Rajya Sabha. Police detained protesters who were trying to jump barriers.
3:30pm: Indian immigration officials have not allowed any Bangladeshi citizen entering their territory through the Dawki border of Meghalaya today.
Bangladeshi officials at Sylhet's Tamabil border said the Indian authorities' decision is prompted by the unrest in Meghalaya triggered by the controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill passed by the BJP government.
Ramzan Mia, a deputy inspector of Tamabil customs, said, "We allowed more than a hundred tourists through our border at 11 am today. But they came back after a while. They said Indian officials were not allowing them to enter the country."
3:00pm: The unrest has led Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to cancel a planned visit to India from Sunday.
2:00pm: The curfew imposed in parts of Shillong following violent protests was relaxed on Friday for 12 hours, beginning 10 am, with no untoward incident being reported from the areas, the Press Trust of India reported quoting officials.
1:45pm: Over 100 people got arrested in Salem, a city in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
12:50pm: Amid protests against the Citizenship Act, Section 144 has been imposed till 6 pm in Kalaburagi city of Karnataka, reports The Indian Express.
12:30pm: After West Bengal, Kerala and Punjab have emerged at the forefront of a pushback by Opposition governments against the Citizenship Amendment Act with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan saying that "an anti-Constitutional law will have no place" in his state.
12:00pm: The amended Citizenship Act will not impact the rights of Goans holding Portuguese passport, the State NRI Commission clarified.
11:10am: Playback singer Angaraag Papon Mahanta, popularly known as Papon, on Thursday cancelled his concert, tweeting that his home state of "Assam is burning, crying and under curfew" and that he would not be able to entertain the audiences in his present state of mind.
11:00am: Over a thousand protesters begin 10-hour hunger strike in Assam Engineering Field in Assam's Chandmari.
10:40am: Amid protests in Tripura over the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday met various delegations from the state, including one from Joint Movement Against Citizenship Amendment Bill, which is spearheading the protests in the state.
10:20am: The US has urged India to protect the rights of its religious minorities in keeping with its Constitution and democratic values as it continues to monitor the developments related to the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, reports The Indian Express.
10:15am: The district administration from Thursday 10pm ordered curfew till further orders in two police station areas of Lumdiengjri and Sadar area of Meghalaya's capital Shilong.
Mobile internet and SMS services were blocked in the state from 5pm Thursday for 48 hours.
9:45am: The indefinite curfew which was in force in Dibrugarh municipal area was relaxed for 5 hours on Friday even as large number of people gathered in Chandmari area of Guwahati to observe a fast called by the All Assam Students' Union, reports Press Trust of India.
9:30am: Bangladesh asked India to enhance security for its Guwahati mission after a mob defaced two signposts near the chancery, reports Press Trust of India.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Indian high commissioner Riva Ganguly Das met acting foreign secretary Kamrul Hasan at his office where the latter "protested about the attack on the convoy of the (Bangladesh) assistant high commissioner and vandalisation of the signposts (of Bangladesh Chancery in Guwahati)".
9:15am: Protesters vandalised the Circle office and the railway station in Chabua of Dibrugarh in Assam. With protesters also targeting another station in Panitola, the Centre suspended rail services in Assam and Tripura, halted long-distance trains to the region in Guwahati, and deployed 12 companies of the Railway Protection Special Force.
9:00am, Friday: Late Thursday, the Union Law Ministry issued an official notification stating that President Ram Nath Kovind has given his assent to the Bill, which seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians, Jains and Parsis.
It leaves out Muslims — who entered the country from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan until December 31, 2014, reports The Indian Express.
10:45pm, Thursday: The administration has snapped broadband internet services In Guwahati, where an indefinite curfew was imposed earlier, reports The Indian Express.
This means that there is no internet connectivity in Guwahati as mobile internet services were already suspended in the city.
10:30pm: If Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress doesn't implement CAB in West Bengal, the Centre will, reports Press Trust of India quoting BJP National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya.
"Mamata Banerjee has been opposing the bill. The TMC should come out clean why they are opposing Hindu refugees from getting citizenship. I dare TMC government not to implement it and deprive the Hindu refugees from getting citizenship," Vijayvargiya said.
"If TMC does not implement CAB, the Centre will take steps to do it," he added.
9:30pm: Union Home Minister Amit Shah met IPFT and Joint Movement Against CAB (JMACAB) delegations in New Delhi and assured them of solving their issues.
JMACAB Convener Anthony Debbarma said that they have called off the strike, reports The Indian Express.
9:10pm: Assam Handloom Minister Ranjit Dutta's house at Behali in Sonitpur was attacked by protestors opposing the CAB, Press Trust of India reports quoting officials.
Crowds of protestors gathered before his house in large numbers and threw stones. However, the damage to the house was minimal as the police reached the spot on time and dispersed them, the officials added.
9:05pm: RTI activist and peasant leader Akhil Gogoi was arrested in Assam's Jorhat district: reports Press Trust of India quoting officials.
9:00pm: Three protesters were killed and many others injured in police firing in Assam's Guwahati amid a raging agitation against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill on Thursday evening, reports NDTV.
The incident occurred when thousands of protesters descended on the streets in defiance of a curfew imposed on the city after the parliament cleared the contentious legislation.
8:45pm: Punjab will not implement the Citizenship Amendment Bill, said Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. He also termed the bill as a direct assault on India's secular character.
Earlier on December 9, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee assured that National Register of Citizens (NRC) and CAB will never be allowed in Bengal as long as the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is in power.
"We will not allow anyone to depot any person from the country. There will be no NRC and no division. There can't be a divide and rule policy; nothing is bigger than the country. People can have big political slogans but the country should not suffer due to it. It's a divisive bill and shall be opposed at any cost," she said.
8:10pm: In Guwahati, two protesters succumbed to gunshot injuries amid heavy protests, reports Indian Express. They were shot at, in two separate parts of the city, confirmed officials.
8:00pm: Dubbing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill as "unconstitutional" and "communal", Delhi University students burnt copies of the Bill.
Various students' bodies called protest at the university's Art Faculty. Organisations and students from Assam also took part in the demonstration. Describing the Bill as "illegal", the protesters also took out a march on the university campus, reports PTI.
"The CAB has been brought by the RSS-BJP to further the Sangh Parivar's agenda of a 'Hindu Rashtra'," Delhi University (DU) AISA secretary Madhurima Kunda said.
"(Union Home Minister) Amit Shah is no one to tell us whether we are the citizens of this country. The country will not accept citizenship on religious grounds. We also condemn the state's repression of protests in Assam," she said.
7:50pm: Assam Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta called upon people to exercise restraint, saying "The attacks (by the protestors) that are taking place are not good and there will be a problem if people take law and order into their hands," reports PTI.
7:45pm: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the Citizenship Amendment Bill is a rejection of secularism.
"Our democracy is in danger. With CAB, Sangh Parivar has used the majority they enjoy in the parliament to uproot the bedrock of Indian democracy & Constitution. It's a rejection of secularism. BJP has made it clear that their main political plank is communalism. We must resist," the chief minister tweeted.
7:30pm: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal appealed the protesting people to maintain peace and assured them of addressing their concerns.
Talking to reporters, he said, "Whatever violent incidents took place during the course of these protests yesterday (Wednesday), Assam's peaceful society has criticised in the strictest terms… People of Assam want peace."
7:15pm: The protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill intensified in Guwahati as thousands of people converged at the Latasil Playground in the heart of the city to take part in a protest meeting by All Assam Students Union (AASU).
7:00pm: Assam Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi said that the situation in the state is extremely disturbing and the protest in Guwahati was far worse than the last two days, reports The Indian Express.
'Despite the curfew, the people of Guwahati have come out and opposed the curfew in their protest against the Bill. This gives us extreme concern because while we understand the outrage and sentiments of the people, we express concern over the level of any harm done to any public property or private property or any individual,' he said.
6:50pm: Abdur Rehman, Special Inspector General of Police, Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission, tendered his resignation to the state government on the day that the Parliament passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, which he termed "divisive" and "unconstitutional".
6:40pm: Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi appealed to the people to maintain peace in Assam. In a statement, Mukhi urged them to maintain restraint as they have always shown patience and political maturity in the past. "If the student community has any issues against the government they have every right to agitate but they should do it in a democratic and peaceful manner, without taking the law in their hands,"
6:30pm: As intense protests continued to roil Assam for the fourth consecutive day over the Citizenship Amendment Bill, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to the people of Northeast, saying his government would safeguard their language, culture and identity "under all circumstances". Addressing an election rally in Jharkhand's Dhanbad, Modi said, "I want to assure my brothers and sisters of Assam that they have nothing to worry after the passing of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. I want to assure them – no one can take away your rights, unique identity and beautiful culture. It will continue to flourish and grow."
6:00pm: Airlines on Thursday cancelled flights to various places in Assam in the wake of unrest in the state. IndiGo, Vistara, Air India, SpiceJet are among the carriers that have cancelled their flights, while GoAir and AirAsia India announced waiving date change fee.
5:30pm: Several Columns of Assam Rifles has been deployed in Tripura
5:00pm: "There seems to be some confusion. We've explained that religious persecution is not happening under the present government. Migrants who have sought refuge in India from Bangladesh have faced persecution and abuse on religious grounds during the military rule and also during the previous government's in Bangladesh. We have also acknowledged and are aware that the present govt in Bangladesh has taken several steps to address the concerns of minorities living there as per their Constitutional provisions," Raveesh Kumar, MEA spokesperson on Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen's comment on Citizenship Bill.
4:30pm: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that some sections of people are trying to spread misinformation about the Citizenship Bill, thus aggravating the protests.
4:15pm: The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is a "divisive tool" that will damage the composite culture of the Northeast and must be immediately scrapped, two-time Assam chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta said. The Bill has been brought in to create a Hindu-Muslim divide, said the former student leader who spearheaded a six-year movement demanding deportation of illegal Bangladeshis in the late 1980s. The state will continue to "burn" if the Modi government does not realise the seriousness of the situation and respect the sentiments of the people, he said. "Every nook and corner in Assam is erupting in spontaneous protests against the black bill. The people of Assam are determined to defeat this divisive and unconstitutional tool called CAB. We will not relent till it is scrapped," Mahanta told PTI over phone from Guwahati.
4:00pm: In Assam's Chabua, MLA Binod Hazarika's residence set ablaze, vehicles torched by anti-CAB protesters, circle office also burned down: PTI quoting officials
3:00pm: Internet services in Assam suspended for another 48 hours, beginning from 12 noon today: Additional chief secretary
2:35pm: Guwahati police commissioner Deepak Kumar removed amid CAB protests; Munna Prasad Gupta new city police chief, reports PTI quoting officials
2:25pm: Communist Party of India on Thursday said the BJP has pushed the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill to extend its "communal agenda" of ensuring that Hindu migrants from Bangladesh living in Assam are given citizenship while seeking to exclude Muslim migrants from that country.
2:10pm: Students' body AASU and peasants' organisation KMSS called for a mega gathering at Latashil playground in the city, which was attended by hundreds of people. Notwithstanding the restrictions, several prominent personalities from the film and music industry, including icon Zueen Garg, joined the gathering along with college and university students.
2:00pm: Amid protests in the northeastern states over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, five Army columns have been requisitioned and deployed in Assam. According to Indian Army officials, three Assam Rifles columns have also been requisitioned and deployed in Tripura. The strength of one column is about 70 personnel of all ranks
1:10pm: In wake of the violent protests in Assam, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday appeal to the people to maintain peace and not get misled.
The BJP-led government in Assam and the state party unit have resorted to presenting data to claim that the number of non-Muslim migrants eligible for citizenship through provisions of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill will be less and the move will not create any problem for the indigenous population.
Speaking at a meeting of the BJP's Mandal and Zila unit presidents on Monday, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said, "As of today, according to the data in our hand, it won't be more than 5 lakh, it will be less than 5 lakh. In no way will our community, land, hearth, heritage, culture, existence be in danger."
12:55pm: Police opened fire to disperse protesters at Lalungaonn area here on Thursday in which some persons were reportedly injured, a senior police officer said. The officer claimed that the protesters hurled stones and bricks at the policemen and when attempts to pacify them did not deter the mob, the security personnel opened fire at them. The officer did not specify the number of people injured in the firing, though the protestors claimed that at least four persons were injured.
12:40pm: Senior police officer of Maharashtra Abdur Rahman, who is posted as the Special Inspector General of Police (IGP), States Human Rights Commission, tendered his resignation over the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
He said he will not attend office from Thursday in "civil disobedience" against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019, which according to him went "against the basic feature of the Constitution."
12:20pm: Police have resorted to firing in the air at several areas in Guwahati to disperse hundreds of protestors as Assam continues to remain on the edge on Thursday.
12:00pm: Despite imposition of curfew in two places of Assam, students' body AASU and peasants organisation KMSS have asked people to step out of their homes at 11 am here on Thursday to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill that was cleared in Parliament. "This fight against the bill will be very long. We urge people to come out and join the protest gathering at 11 am at Latashil field in Guwahati," All Assam Students' Union (AASU) chief said.
11:40am: All passenger train operations to Assam, Tripura suspended in view of security issues; decision taken last night by Northeast Frontier Railway. Meanwhile 12 companies of RPSF dispatched to affected northeast regions last night to secure railway property.
11:00am: 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.
10:45am: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today urged the people of Assam not to worry about the newly passed Citizenship Amendment Bill, saying no one can take away your rights.
In a tweet on Thursday morning, Narendra Modi said, '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."
10:00am: All flights have been cancelled from Kolkata to Dibrugarh sector: Kolkata airport official
9:45am: Army conducted a flag march in the city on Thursday morning. Vehicles were stranded in various cities of Assam due to heavy blockade. Half-a dozen vehicles were burnt. The houses of BJP and AGP leaders were attacked in various parts of the state.
9:30am: The Tripura Congress has called for a shut down in the state on Thursday, a day after the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) was passed in the Rajya Sabha.
Meanwhile, protests have intensified in Assam against the Bill.
Ruling BJP MPs from the state have expressed "genuine concern" at the "tense situation" and said that "people are worried and confused".
"I don't know about tomorrow. There is misunderstanding and misinterpretation. People should understand things correctly. It's getting worse," said Guwahati MP Queen Oja, reports The Indian Express.
Protesters in Guwahati expressed fear that the CAB would "open the floodgates for illegal Bangladeshis and violate the Assam Accord" of 1985. At many locations, protesters were seen holding placards that read "No CAB", and shouting slogans against the Bill and the BJP-led state government.
9am Thursday: The Central government has issued an advisory to private TV channels against showing content that "can encourage or incite violence or contains anything against maintenance of law and order" or "promotes anti-national attitudes" or anything that can affect the "integrity of the nation".
In Guwahati, the principal city in Assam, a curfew was enforced, the army was called in and mobile internet services were snapped in 10 other districts after tens of thousands of protesters descended on the streets against the bill, clashing with the police and paramilitary troopers, as protests raged in the northeast, reports Hindustan Times.
Wednesday: Indian Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 with 125 members voting for it and 105 voting against it.
The bill seeks to fast-track citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim minorities coming to India from three neighbouring countries - Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The BJP-led central government pushed for the bill arguing that it is India's duty to give these minorities a dignified life.
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