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A two-month-old ailing child died on way to a hospital when the ambulance carrying the baby got stuck in a road blockade, while about 40 people were injured in clashes in three places of Tripura during an 11- hour bandh to protest against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, police said.
Normal life came to a halt on Tuesday, 10 December, in Assam's Brahmaputra Valley due to a statewide bandh called by two students' organisations in protest against the Bill, which has received the nod in the Lok Sabha.
The 11-hour bandh, called by the All Assam Students' Union and the North East Students' Organisation – an apex body of student unions in the region – however, had less impact in Bengali-dominated Barak Valley.
In the Maligaon area of the city, a government-run bus was pelted with stones and a scooter was set on fire, sources said.
Shops, markets and business establishments kept shutters down, while educational and financial institutions remained closed for the day, the official sources stated.
Clashes Affect Train Services, Block National Highways
Huge processions were taken out in different areas of Guwahati, with protesters raising slogans against the contentious CAB.
Demonstrators burn tyres during a strike (AASU) and the NESO in protest against the Citizenship Amendment Bill in Guwahati.
(Photo: PTI)
Protesters had a scuffle with security forces near the Secretariat and Assembly buildings in Guwahati when they were prevented from moving forward, police sources said.
Train services across Assam were affected as picketers squatted on tracks, a spokesperson of the Railways said.
Some had also attempted to block the entrance to NF Railway headquarters and the Divisional Railway Manager's office at Rangia in Kamrup district, he said.
Vehicles – both private and public – stayed off the roads, official sources said, adding that government-run Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) buses plied between Guwahati city and the LGB airport with police escort.
All scheduled examinations were rescheduled by the Universities in view of the bandh.
In Dibrugarh district, bandh supporters clashed with CISF personnel. Three of them sustained injuries as they tried to prevent the workers of Oil India Ltd (OIL) to enter office at Duliajan area.
Protesters burnt tyres and blocked national highways to stop movement of vehicles in various parts of Assam.
Students of Gauhati University and Cotton University in Guwahati, along with those of Assam Agriculture University in Jorhat, took to the streets, seeking immediate withdrawal of the legislation.
Political Parties Back NESO in Observing Bandh
The 11-hour bandh began at 5 am on Tuesday, 10 December. The North East Students' Organisation (NESO), backed by various other bodies and political parties, will observe the shutdown till 4 pm against the Bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha. Security was beefed up in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura.
Nagaland has been exempted from the purview of the bandh in view of the ongoing Hornbill Festival there.
The Manipur People Against CAB (Manpac), which was spearheading the agitation in the state, has announced suspension of its stir on Monday, after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that it was to be brought under Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime. Indigenous people of the Northeastern states are scared that the entry of these people will endanger their identity and livelihood.
Various organisations of the region have launched a series of agitations against the Bill.
Parties and organisations such as the Congress, AIUDF, All Assam Students Union, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union, Khasi Students Union and the Naga Students Federation are backing the NESO to observe the bandh.
A total of 16 left-leaning organisations such as the SFI, DYFI, AIDWA, AISF, AISA and the IPTA has also called a 12-hour bandh in Assam, coinciding with the NESO-organised shutdown.
Gauhati University and Dibrugarh University in the state have postponed all examinations scheduled for tomorrow.
The Bill would not be applicable to Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram, where the ILP system exists and those tribal regions of Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura which are governed under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
This is the second region-wise bandh on this issue this year. Several organisations observed a bandh on 8 January when the earlier Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed. However, the Bill lapsed as it was not introduced in Rajya Sabha. A new version was tabled on Lok Sabha on Monday.
Slew of Protests Against Citizenship Bill in Delhi
The national capital is slated to witness protest demonstrations by political parties, students' bodies and civil society groups over the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill on Tuesday, 10 December.
The Northeast Students' Union is staging a protest against the bill at Jantar Mantar. People from various walks of life and across organisations have joined the stir.
The CPI(M)‘s Delhi state committee members will also hold a protest at the same venue against the contentious bill
CPI(M) MPs had earlier held a protest near the Gandhi statue on the Parliament premises.
Another protest, organised by various civil society groups, was held in the evening against the Citizenship Bill as well as the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
(With Inputs from PTI)
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