Protests in Assam | Photo Credit: PTI

Dhaka: Bangladesh asked India to strengthen security for its Guwahati mission after protesters defaced two signposts near the chancery amid anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Bill protests in Assam. Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said a convoy of the (Bangladesh) assistant high commissioner was also attacked in Guwahati on Thursday.

The Foreign Ministry in Dhaka in an official statement said Indian high commissioner Riva Ganguly Das met acting foreign secretary Kamrul Hasan at his office this evening.

Hasan "protested about the attack on the convoy of the (Bangladesh) assistant high commissioner and vandalisation of the signposts (of Bangladesh Chancery in Guwahati)".

"He (Ahsan) requested for the protection of personnel and property of the Mission by the host government," the statement said.

The Indian envoy assured Dhaka that the Indian authorities were alerted of the incident and were directed to increase the security of Bangladesh chancery and the assistant high commissioner’s residence in the city.

Two persons succumbed to bullet wounds in police firing on Thursday in Assam’s capital as thousands of protesters indulged in arson and vandalism. Eight people were injured in protests and as many as 300 people were detained.

Curfew was extended for 48 hours in several districts of the state, internet services were snapped in 10 districts. Several districts of the state saw violent protests despite repeated assurance from Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi that their rights and culture will be protected despite the CAB under Clause 6 of the Assam Accord.

Former Assam CM Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, the former member of the All Assam Students Union which signed the Assam accord with the government, dubbed the CAB as a “divisive tool” that will damage the composite culture of Northeast. He called for its scrapping. He also said the bill seeks to nullify the clause 6 of the Assam Accord. “Clause 6 is not going to act as a protection against the CAB; instead CAB is undoing Clause 6. CAB is extending the cut-off year from 1971 to 2014,” he earlier said.

Despite the heavy resistance in north-east President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent for the Bill late Thursday night.