Citizenship Amendment Bill protests highlights: Protesters vandalise railway stations, block roads in Bengal

As Guwahati witnessed the third day of curfew in light of the prevailing unrest because of the Citizenship Bill protests, early Friday morning saw residents come out on to the street to stock up on essential items such as medicine and food. While most shops remained shut, pharmacies remained open till late afternoon. Autos and rickshaws were plying in most parts of the city. Read more...

Protests against CAB and NRC in Mumbai.

A peaceful protest at the Marine Drive was blocked by the police and the protesters were taken to Marine Drive Police Station.The protesters who were arrested include former IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan, Feroze Mithiborwala (Bharat Bachao Andolan), Fahad Ahmed (TISS), Amol Madame (Akhil Bharatiya Parivar), Com. Nasirul Haq (All India Tanzeem I Insaaf), M A Khalid (All India Milli Council), Faisal Khan (Activist), Kalhan Raina (Activist), Amlan Mishra (Law Student), Mrugam Sanghvi, Rahul Yadav.

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.

Guwahati roads wore a deserted look on Friday evening (7 pm).  No violence or vandalism reported. However, the city still had heavy security deployed across it, curfew still on. Internet services too remained suspended.

In Uluberia and Diamond Harbour, both minority-dominated areas of Bengal, agitators blocked railway tracks and vandalised stations, leaving several passengers stranded during the day. The affected trains included the 12841 Howrah-Chennai Coromandel Express, 22897 Howrah-Digha Kandari Express and suburban locals. The demonstrators, numbering around 250, obstructed the Up and Down lines at Uluberia station and hurled stones at the stranded trains, injuring a driver, South Eastern Railway spokesman Sanjoy Ghosh said.

In view of widespread protests in Assam over the amended citizenship law, the parliamentary panel on home affairs has postponed its field visit to the state.
The visit of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs was slated from Dec 18 to 21, but it has been postponed in view of curfew and law and order situation in parts of the state.
The panel chairman and the members were to visit Shillong in Meghalaya and Assam's Guwahati. (PTI)

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.
Indian Oil Corp (IOC) has been forced to shut down its Digboi refinery in Assam and is operating Guwahati unit at minimal throughput, while Oil India Ltd has been forced to shut LPG production and its crude oil production has dropped by 15-20 per cent, multiple sources at the state-owned companies said. (PTI)

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. (PTI)

Hundreds of Aligarh Muslim University students and teachers organised separate protest marches on Friday and handed over two memorandums to authorities, demanding immediate withdrawal of the amendments made to the Citizenship Act. The district administration has blocked internet services in Aligarh district since midnight in view of the protests planned against the amended Citizenship Act and to ensure peace and order. (PTI)

Protests against the amended Citizenship Act continued to rage across northeast, with students' unions in Arunachal Pradesh on Friday 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. (PTI)

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday blamed opposition Congress and 'communal forces' for the widespread violence in the state over the last two days, saying strong action will be taken against those involved in arson and vandalism during the anti-citizenship bill protests. onowal also said the violence was part of a political conspiracy against the BJP-led government in Assam and asserted that he was committed to protecting the rights of the indigenous people of the state.
'The Congress and some communal forces are behind the violence. Even some ultra Left have joined the mob. It is a political conspiracy,' he told PTI. (PTI)

he influential All Assam Students' Union (AASU), which is spearheading the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, on Friday accused Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal of "surrendering before the Delhi leadership" and vowed to continue a "non-violent mass movement" against the contentious legislation.
Chief Adviser of AASU Samujjal Kumar Bhattachaya also claimed that President Ram Nath Kovind has "violated the Constitution" by giving assent to the "communal bill", which was passed by the Parliament on Wednesday.
"Our stand is clear. We will not accept, never accept the new law. The MPs have voted in favour of the bill but people of Assam have rejected it through a mass movement," he told PTI. (PTI)

The All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) on Friday 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. The apex students' body of the state has been spearheading the refugee issue for the past several decades.
'We want a clear-cut answer from New Delhi whether the Chakma-Hajongs will remain as refugees or as citizens. If they (refugees) are given the citizenship status where will they be settled?' AAPSU president Hawa Bagang asked during a press conference in Itanagar. (PTI)

Entry and exit gates at all stations have been opened. Normal services have resumed in all stations.

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 statement came after chief ministers of West Bengal, Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh announced that the law is "unconstitutional" and has no place in their respective states.
"The states have no powers to deny implementation of a central law which is in the Union List," the top official from the Home Ministry said. (PTI)

All Assam Students Union(AASU) has on Friday filed a petition in Supreme Court challenging the amended Citizenship Act, its chief adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya said. Bhattacharya, who was addressing a meeting here amidst the indefinite curfew, hit out at the BJP top leadership for 'betraying' the people of Assam. (PTI)

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.

Under the new citizenship law, illegal migrants belonging to these six religions from the three specified countries shall be deemed to be citizens of India from the date of their entry into India, and all legal proceedings against them in respect of their illegal migration or citizenship will be closed when they acquire citizenship. Read more...

Beldanga railway station complex in West Bengal's Murshidabad district was set on fire on Friday by people protesting against amended Citizenship Act, said RPF officials. 

The area near the university has turned battleground with the police detaining those jumping the barriers. Some have even resorted to stone-pelting and the police are using tear gas to disperse the mob.

Route of protest by the Jamia Millia Islamia University students has been blocked by heavy police barricades near the campus, said the police

The students of Jamia Millia Islamia University protested against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill taht was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

Goods flew off shelves as locals rushed to stock up essential items after shops and markets in Guwahati opened Friday morning amid reports that curfew has been relaxed, which were later dismissed by the authorities.
Long queues were seen outside shops at the Uzan Bazar, Chandmari, Silpukhuri and Zoo Road areas with people coming out in their cars and two-wheelers after some local channels reported that the prohibitory orders have been relaxed from 6 am to 1 pm. (PTI)

India and Japan on Friday mutually decided to defer the annual summit talks which were slated to take place in Guwahati from December 15-17, the Ministry of External Affairs said. The announcement comes in the wake of widespread protests in the Assam capital and elsewhere in the northeastern state in the last two days against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Taking to Twitter, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, “With reference to the proposed visit of Japanese PM Shinzo Abe to India, both sides have decided to defer the visit to a mutually convenient date in the near future.”

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath accused the government of practising a "politics of distractions" and said the amended Citizenship Act was an attempt to change narrative by "design", PTI reported. Addressing the Indian Women's Press Club, Nath said he was most worried about the future of the Indian youth given the present economic condition of the country. "The worst part is the politics of distraction, changing the orbit of people's imagination. Every time there is economic slowdown, a bill is introduced, a decision is taken to distract people," the Madhya Pradesh chief minister said.

Lashing out at the BJP-led central government, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she would not allow its implementation in the state "under any circumstances", PTI reported. Banerjee, who is also the TMC supremo, said the saffron party can't bulldoze the states to implement the law. "We will never allow NRC exercise and Citizenship Act in Bengal. We will not implement the amended Act, even though it has been passed in Parliament. The BJP can't just bulldoze the states to implement it," Banerjee said.

National Peoples Party (NPP) leader Agatha K Sangma has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to exempt the entire North East from the purview of the Amended Citizenship Act to ensure that peace returns to the region, PTI reported. The Tura MP had written a letter to the Prime Minister on Thursday night demanding that the entire North East be exempted from the purview of the Act. 'The North East is a complex region that needs a holistic protection, the government must revisit the CAB and exempt the entire region from its purview. This is the only way peace and confidence can be built among our people,' Agatha said.

Talking tough, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today warned of taking strong action against those involved in arson and violence, saying vandalism has no place in any democratic process. Sonowal also asserted that he was committed to protect the rights of the indigenous people of the state and urged parents of students to persuade them not to join any agitation which turns violent. "We will not tolerate any violence. Strong action will be taken against anyone who is involved in vandalism," he told PTI.

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, officials said, PTI reported. The curfew was imposed on Thursday night in areas under Sadar and Lumdiengjri police station limits, which comprise at least 20 neighbourhoods of North Shillong and Mawprem. "The curfew has been relaxed from 10 am to 10 pm in the areas under Sadar and Lumdiengjri police station limits," East Khasi Hills district deputy commissioner M W Nongbri said. Mobile internet and messaging services, however, remained suspended.

Over100 people arrested in Salem during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

Speaking to ANI on the protests in northeast, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju told ANI, "Some elements may try to create violence but the northeastern people are peace-loving. Protests are taking place but there are ways and means of protesting. Some have tried to take advantage of the situation." 

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) cadres, led by youth wing leader Udhayanidhi Stalin, today held a protest against the Citizenship Act in Saidapet in Chennai. During the protests, Udhayanidhi tore a of the Bill amid cheers from party members.  He, along with a few others, were later arrested by the Chennai City Police. On Thursday, party chief Stalin had announced that the opposition will be holding a state-wide protest on December 17 to condemn the ruling party's support to the 'anti-Tamil, anti-minority government at the Centre'.

Amid protests against the Citizenship Act, Section 144 has been imposed till 6 pm in Kalaburagi city of Karnataka. The restriction, however, is not applicable to locations where Friday prayers will be held and the district collector's office, Kalaburagi DCP Dekka Kishore Babu told indianexpress.com.

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. “The Supreme Court had made it clear on several occasions that the basic structure of the Constitution cannot be undermined. So, it is clear that this law will not stand legal scrutiny. When that is evident, there are heinous political aims behind passing anti-Constitutional laws using the arrogance of power…Kerala will not implement it. Discrimination based on religion will not be allowed,” he said. Describing CAB as a direct assault on India’s secular character, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said, his government will not let the legislation be implemented in Punjab. “We have a majority in the Assembly, and will block the Bill. We will not let it rip apart the secular fabric of the country, whose strength lies in its diversity,” he said.

In Chennai, the DMK is also staging a protest against the Citizenship Act. 

The amended Citizenship Act will not impact the rights of Goans holding Portuguese passport, the State NRI Commission clarified on Friday. The clarification came after the opposition Congress sought to know the fate of Goans holding Portuguese passport following Parliament's approval to the contentious Bill. NRI commissioner Narendra Sawaikar asked the Congress to stop playing "divisive politics" on the issue. "How and why will CAB bill divide India? It will not affect the rights of Goan passport holders before or after the CAB Bill," Sawaikar tweeted reacting to Congress statements.

After the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Friday moved the Supreme Court challenging the validity of the Citizenship Amendment Act. A Bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde refused early hearing for today and asked Moitra’s lawyer to mention the matter before the mentioning officer.

Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena today attacked the Centre, saying it brought the new citizenship law to show it is the sole saviour of Hindus and asked what kind of politics it is playing by inviting uncalled for pain after the move caused violence in the north-eastern states. The bill was brought only to prove that they are the sole saviour of Hindus across the world. But the government has no concrete answer to why Kashmiri Pandits have not been able to return to Kashmir despite scrapping of Article 370. The situation in Kashmir is still not normal, the Shiv Sena said.

A day after the Rajya Sabha passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill, BJP leaders, including Delhi unit president Manoj Tiwari, made a beeline to North Delhi’s Majnu ka Tilla to “congratulate” Hindu refugees from Pakistan’s Sindh province. With around 130 households, the camp has 700-odd refugees who fled Pakistan starting 2010 due to “religious persecution” and came to India on tourist and pilgrimage visas. Addressing a gathering at the camp, Tiwari said, “Now you are true Indian, and India welcomes you with open arms. You can restart your life here and embark on the path of prosperity.” “Prime Minister Narendra Modi told me he was aware of your persecution,” Tiwari said amid chants of “Jai Shri Ram” and “Modi, Modi”.

The Congress-led Opposition has accused the government of making the Northeast “another Kashmir” with people protesting on the streets against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, and a communication blockade in parts of the region. But the treasury benches countered saying the Opposition was “instigating violence” there. “The entire northeastern region, barring a few places, is in flames… It has become another Kashmir,” Congress Leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said on Thursday. “Internet services have been discontinued. We are witnessing that the Kashmir phenomenon has been replicated in the Northeast,” he said. Chowdhury’s remarks triggered protests from the treasury benches. “They are instigating violence in the Northeast,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said.

“As things stand, we don’t know when we can leave the city, because you see the situation here is pretty tense and an indefinite curfew has been imposed,” a Services official told The Indian Express after their Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match against Assam at Guwahati was abandoned on Thursday. With Assam burning over the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), match referee Valmik Buch called off the fourth day’s play after receiving an email from the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) that expressed security concerns, while mentioning the grave law and order situation in Guwahati.

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. The performance was scheduled to take place at Imperfecto Shor Cafe & Club in Delhi’s Aerocity. Since the tickets had already been sold for the gig, Papon reassured his fans that the organisers would take care of the refunds. Papon told The Indian Express, “I am not at peace. This Bill will apply to people seeking refuge in India for persecution done to them in neighbouring countries. On humanitarian grounds, there is no problem with that. But it so happens that Assam is the corridor for refugees coming from Bangladesh. With its delicately balanced, complex cultural fabric, it’s a threat to the language and culture of the indigenous mix if such ‘large numbers’ of people come and settle in the limited area with limited resources.”

BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Thursday said that if the Trinamool Congress government does not implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in West Bengal, then the Centre will. He also said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was opposing the Bill as she was afraid of “losing her minority vote bank”. “The bordering districts of West Bengal have become a hub of infiltrators because of Mamata Banerjee’s minority appeasement politics. This Bill is aimed at giving citizenship to Hindu refugees in the country. Why does she have to oppose the historic Bill? She is simply afraid of losing her minority votebank,” said Vijayvargiya, who celebrated the passing of the Bill by Parliament by distributing sweets to people outside state BJP headquarters in Kolkata.

People in Guwahati visit local stores to make purchases. (Express photo/Tora Agarwala)

AASU chief advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya told indianexpress.com, "Our protest will be non-violent and disciplined. We will not accept the Citizenship Amendment Bill at any cost. The government might say they will give us Clause 6 - but that will not work for us. We are also appealing to people not to resort to violence."

Over a thousand protesters are staging a 10-hour hunger strike in Assam Engineering Field in Assam's Chandmari on Friday. (Express photo/Tora Agarwala)

On this day in 1979, Assam, which has been in the grip of continuous agitation for a few weeks, was placed under Central rule. The presidential proclamation to this effect was issued after an emergency meeting of the Union Cabinet. The state assembly has been kept in suspended animation. Fresh efforts will be made after some time to form another ministry. The Central intervention came in response to Governor L P Singh’s recommendation. In his report, the governor had sought imposition of President’s rule for a brief period following the breakdown of constitutional machinery and the deteriorating law and order situation. The governor had recalled the political developments in the state leading to the withdrawal of support to the Hazarika ministry by the Congress, Janata and CPI. The ministry was thus reduced to a minority. The Union Cabinet met for half an hour to consider the governor’s report in particular and the latest political and law and order situation in the state. The Cabinet endorsed the governor’s plea for Central rule and recommended the same to the President.

On Thursday, many commuters were stranded at the Guwahati airport unable to get out. “There are at least a thousand people here,” confirmed a police official at the airport, adding that many cars left but had to turn back because they were waylaid by the protestors. From the airport to the city centre, many vehicles met with several stone-pelting incidents. Meanwhile, internet services in the state remain suspended and an indefinite curfew is on. “They are trying to use the same tactics like they did in Kashmir — clamping down on the internet but we will not let that happen. We will not let Delhi dictate us. We have never been dictated by Delhi. We will not accept what Delhi,” said Shilabhadra, a businessman based in Guwahati.

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. A Home Ministry spokesperson said the minister assured them their concerns would be addressed. “After his assurance, they have called off their strike,” the spokesperson said. The Home Minister is expected to visit Shillong on December 15 for an event at the North East Police Academy.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday postponed a scheduled meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah as his cabinet colleagues failed to reach the Guwahati Airport to board a plane to Delhi amid the protests, PTI reported. Sangma, who had managed to reach the LGB airport, however, left for the national capital, official sources said. "The CM had visited western Meghalaya earlier in the day. He took a separate route to reach the airport, on the outskirts of Guwahati. His cabinet colleagues, however, were stuck in violence-hit Guwahati," one of the sources told the news agency.

Government and political functionaries in the national capital have pointed to “unpreparedness, poor communication and error of judgment” by the Centre and the state governments over reactions on the street to the legislation. A source in the government admitted that there could have been an error of judgment in weighing in the possibilities of violent protests on the streets against the Bill. “There could have been an error of judgment (about the responses). We must have made a mistake in assessing the situation. Or there could be communication gap,” said a source. Another party source said, “This scale of violent response was not anticipated.” However, the government source said, “Things will be under control soon. Normalcy will return in 24-48 hours.”

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. “We are closely following developments regarding the Citizenship Amendment Bill. Respect for religious freedom and equal treatment under the law are fundamental principles of our two democracies,” a State Department spokesperson said on Thursday. “The US urges India to protect the rights of its religious minorities in keeping with India’s Constitution and democratic values,” the spokesperson said.

In neighbouring Meghalaya’s capital Shillong, the district administration ordered curfew in two police station areas of Lumdiengjri and Sadar from 10 pm Thursday till further orders. Mobile internet and SMS services were blocked in the state from 5 pm Thursday for 48 hours. "Messaging platforms like SMS, WhatsApp and social media platforms like facebook, twitter and You Tube are likely to be used for transmission of information through pictures, videos and text that have the potential to cause civil unrest and exacerbate the law and order situation," Additional Home Secretary C V D Diengdoh was quoted as saying by PTI.

Speaker of the Assam Assembly, Hitendra Nath Goswami, who is a BJP legislator from Jorhat constituency, said: “The CAB will cause hatred between different communities of the state. I have been saying this from long before.” Samujjal Bhattacharyya, an advisor to the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), and one of the main organisers of the gathering, said: “The MPs passed this Bill through votes. Today, the people rejected this vote by people’s votes. They violated the curfew and came to say ‘No to CAB’. The future course will be a non-violent and disciplined movement. At the same time, we are discussing with our lawyers and as per their advice we will move the courts.”

A large number of people, including artists, singers and filmstars are observing a 10-hour fast called by the influential students' organisation against the Citizenship Act from 6 am. AASU chief advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya said that the protests will continue. "We will not succumb to any pressure and our agitation will continue," he said.

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 AASU, PTI reported. In Dibrugarh municipal area the indefinite curfew was relaxed from 8 am, officials said. The Army and the security forces were conducting flag marches in Guwahati town which was the epicentre of the protests, besides Dibrugarh and Tezpur.

In Dibrugarh, protesters attempted arson at the residences of MP and Union MoS Rameshwar Teli and two BJP MLAs, Prasanta Phukan and Binod Hazarika, while police fired in the air and used tear gas in various other locations of the district. A few motorcycles in front of an office in Dibrugarh, said to belong to the RSS, were burnt, officials said. Prasanta Phukan, the BJP MLA whose house was attacked, said: “A few glass windows were broken and the screen of a car was shattered. The movement has gone to the hands of miscreants, no one knows who is doing what.” A police officer in Dibrugarh city confirmed that till late evening intense clashes were going on.