Bandh supporters burn tyres at B Borooah College Road in Guwahati

By: Syeda Ambia Zahan

GUWAHATI: At least 1,000 people have been detained in various districts of Assam, as protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill ( CAB ) peaked on Tuesday. An 11-hour bandh was called by All Assam Students’ Union (Aasu) and Northeast Students’ Organisation (Neso) and Left-democratic organisations in the state amidst the passage of the bill in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

In various parts of Guwahati, police resorted to lathicharge and firing of tear gas to disperse agitated protesters.

The city witnessed a complete shutdown with shops, markets, business establishments, educational institutes remaining closed from dusk to dawn. Four persons were injured in a clash with security personnel in Down Town area of Assam. In Jalukbari, people blocked the road that leads to the residence of BJP leader and state finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and raised slogans against CAB. Police resorted to blank firing to clear the road.

The effigy of Queen Oja, MP from Guwahati, was burnt outside her residence, as people raised slogans against the bill.

Hundreds of people were stuck in Guwahati railway station and Guwahati airport as vehicles stayed off roads. Protesters were lathi-charged in front of the Assam secretariat and assembly building when they tried to move forward. An agitation was held in front of the deputy

commissioner’s office and the office of the police commissionerate in the city. Agitators stopped Assam education minister Sidhartha Bhattacharya’s convoy from entering the Assam secretariat.

Regional movie actor Barsharani Bishaya, along with other actors and singers, led protests in Chandmari. Deepak Kumar, commissioner of police, Guwahati, said, “A total of 102 protesters have been picked up from various locations of Guwahati, mostly for burning tyres and trying to block roads. We have ferried more than 500 people from Guwahati Airport to Paltan Bazar without any stone pelting and other obstructions. Stones were pelted at buses in Satmile, Saukuchi and in Hatigaon, but no passenger was hurt.” Fire brigade and ambulances were deployed in sensitive zones in the city to tackle with emergencies. Protests continued in many places even after the expiry of the 11-hour slot.

“The protesters came from the lanes. We tried to gather them in one place, tried to calm them down. In some cases, we have to resort to lathicharge and tear gas,” Kumar added.

Amid widespread protests, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal welcomed the passage of the CAB, 2019 in the Lok Sabha.

“The passage of the Bill in the Lok Sabha is a historic moment for us. It will not only give relief to six persecuted minority communities from three neighbouring countries but will also pave the way for constitutional safeguards to the indigenous people of Assam,” Sonowal tweeted.

Both private buses and the buses run by Assam State Transport Corporation were taken off roads fearing attacks. Long distance bus service from the Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT) here too remained cancelled in the day.

