Rajya Sabha(Upper house of Indian Parliament) on December 11 Wednesday approved the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, completing the legislative procedure for giving Indian citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, reports Assam Tribune. The Bill was passed with 125 votes in favour and 105 against it. Earlier, the House rejected the motion to send the Bill to a select committee of the House with 124 members voting against it as compared to 99 in its favour.
Meanwhile, curfew was imposed in Guwahati in Kamrup Metropolitan District on December 11 to tackle the deteriorating law and order situation prevailing in Assam amid massive protests over CAB, reports The Sentinel. Assam Tribune reports that the indefinite curfew was enforced from 1815 Hrs. Moreover, two columns of Army have been deployed for flag march after fresh and volatile protests erupted across Assam. India Today adds that Army has been deployed in Guwahati, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh and Jorhat Districts. NDTV adds that Indian Army has sent two columns, each consisting of 70 soldiers and one or two officers, to Kanchanpur and Manu in Tripura. Two other columns of Army are on standby in Assam's Dibrugarh and Bongaigaon. A Police Quick Response Tea (QRT) has been dispatched to Assam's Dibrugarh District and a total of 5,000 paramilitary personnel have been deployed across the North East.
East Mojoreports on December 11 that areas worst effected by protests are Dibrugarh, the hometown of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Jorhat, the hometown of former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Tezpur and Tinsukia. Clashes between protesting students and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were reported from Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Tinsukia and Tezpur.
Additionally, order issued by the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sanjay Krishna said mobile Internet and data service of all mobile service providers will be prohibited for 24 hours beginning 1900Hrs on December 11, reports Assam Tribune. The prohibition of internet has been enforced in Kamrup (Metro), Kamrup, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat and Golaghat Districts.
About 20 students and a TV journalist sustained injuries on December 11 when police caned the protesting crowds in Bokel in Dibrugarh District, reports Assam Tribune. The protesters had blocked roads and resorted to stone pelting, in protest against CAB.
Meanwhile, house of Union Minister Rameswar Teli in Dulijan in Dibrugarh District was attacked by protesters on December 11, reports India Today. Moreover, anti-CAB protesters also vandalised the houses of BJP Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Prasanta Phukan and party leader Subhash Dutta in Dibrugarh District.
Meanwhile, Dibrugarh Deputy Commissioner Pallav Gopal Jha called for an urgent meeting of all the leaders including All Assam Students Union (AASU), Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) as well as media persons and appealed for peaceful and democratic protest, adds Assam Tribune.
Moreover, The Asam Chah Mazdoor Sangh (ACMS) has strongly opposed the CAB, reports Assam Tribune. The Central Committee of ACMS stated that they will resort to a vigorous anti-CAB agitation in all the tea gardens spread over the entire Brahmaputra valley. As per their agitational programme, on December 17 they will stage demonstrations and hold protest meetings in the tea gardens.
Further, in view of the escalating protests, business establishments and shops downed their shutters. Power connections were also snapped at various parts of Guwahati in Kamrup Metropolitan District in Assam, reports Assam Tribune. Security Personnel repeatedly blank-fired and used tear gas, lathis, rubber bullets and even water cannons on the protesters. Meanwhile, the Army has been kept on standby in view of the deteriorating law-and-order situation in Assam, including Bongaigaon and Dibrugarh Districts, reports Assam Tribune December 12.