Normal life came to a halt in Assam as over 40 organisations called for a 12-hour long statewide bandh to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016.
Protesters tried to put up blockades on railway tracks on Tuesday in order to disrupt train services across Assam, as part of the 12-hour state-wide ‘bandh’ or shutdown against the Citizenship Bill.
Police officials said that the demonstrators, who were trying to prevent train movement by sitting on tracks, were being evicted.
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The bandh in Assam is being observed against the meeting of Parliamentary Committee on Citizenship (Amendment) Bill with officials of home and external affairs in New Delhi. The JPC had earlier held two sittings with officials of these ministries to discuss further course of action on expediting examination of the Bill and to take evidence.
“Police personnel have been deployed wherever it was necessary,” said Joint Commissioner of Police Guwahati Degonta bora.
Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was introduced in the Lok Sabha to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 to grant Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who fled religious persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan and entered India before December 31, 2014.
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The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) and other organisations have called the 12-hour bandh to protest against the Centre’s bid to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, in the Winter Session of Parliament.
Political parties, including the Congress and the AIUDF, have extended their support to the bandh in the interest of Assam and its indigenous people.
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