Indefinite curfew imposed in Guwahati, violent protests in Assam over Citizenship Amendment Bill
NB: From concerned citizens I hear that it is an unprecedented uprising, with mass popular presence on the streets, all-night vigils; tear gas and batons; and the beaten, injured, dissipated students gathering again and again, singing the Assamese national anthem to police. The internet blockade was also not called for, as it will affect commercial activity of ordinary people as well, but the government seems to think that clamping down on communications is the best remedy for its own incompetence and high-handedness.
LIVE Updates: Two protesters die of bullet injuries in Guwahati
LIVE Updates: Two protesters die of bullet injuries in Guwahati
The RSS/BJP-led NDA government is bent upon forcing the Indian polity into a mould fashioned upon their dream of Hindu Rashtra. Hindutva is not Hinduism. The dream of Hindutva is a monolithic nightmare for millions of Indians - Hindus included - for whom linguistic, cultural and regional identity is as important, if not more important than religion. To cite a philosopher: We are the multiplication of many a past. The population of East Bengal was identified as 'Muslim' in 1947; and 'Bengali' in 1971, but they remained the same people. The peoples of the Indian sub-continent identify themselves in many different ways - let us never forget that the boundaries of their identities have always been fluid and porous.
The ideological dream machine of the Hindutva organisations cannot enforce its tyranny over Indias diverse population. Their politics is a recipe for disintegration. Every so often the situation blows up and they return to ruling all areas with the help of heavy security. The leaders of the so-called Sangh Parivar should understand that cleverness is no substitute for wisdom; and threats and intimidation are no guarantees of a stable polity.
The ideological dream machine of the Hindutva organisations cannot enforce its tyranny over Indias diverse population. Their politics is a recipe for disintegration. Every so often the situation blows up and they return to ruling all areas with the help of heavy security. The leaders of the so-called Sangh Parivar should understand that cleverness is no substitute for wisdom; and threats and intimidation are no guarantees of a stable polity.
It is the people who alone can define the Indian nation, and this can be done only by painstaking and peacful dialogue. It is not something that can be settled by imposing a pre-conceived despotic concept upon all of us. The BJP's command of a majority in parliament does not entitle it to play with the lives of millions. They are not nationalists but nihilists. The Modi government is playing with fire - the costs will be borne by millions of innocent and poor people.
To all friends in Assam and the North-east, my urgent request is to avoid violence and beware of those who would like to instigate communal riots. DS
As the Citizenship
Amendment Bill (CAB) was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, an indefinite
curfew was imposed in the city of Guwahati in Assam. The curfew was earlier
imposed with a timeframe of 6:15 PM on Wednesday to 7 AM on Thursday. It has
now been extended to an indefinite period. According to Guwahati Police
Commissioner Deepak Kumar, the curfew will remain imposed until normalcy is
imposed.
The United Liberation
Front of Assam (ULFA) has announced a shutdown in Assam on Thursday. A bus was
torched by protesters, near Janta Bhawan in Dispur. Two columns of Army which
were on standby at Bongaigaon and Dibrugarh have been rushed to Guwahati after
the situation escalated. Both the columns have been deployed in Guwahati. Several organisations
have also called for 'Rail Roko', a shutdown of train services, on account of
which Indian Railways has cancelled around 12 trains and partially cancelled 10
trains on December 12-13 in the Tinsukia division and Lumding division in
Assam.
The Dibrugarh District Magistrate, for 'preservation of public peace and
tranquillity', has also ordered the closure of liquor-licensed premises.
The state government
has already suspended internet services for the next 24 hours, starting from 7
pm on Wednesday. The ban is being imposed over 10 districts of Assam, including
Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat,
Golaghat, Kamrup (Metro) and Kamrup. Meanwhile, curfew has been imposed in
Guwahati after massive protests triggered at several places in the city.
As massive protests
have erupted across Assam against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, state chief
minister Sarbananda Sonowal was left stranded at Guwahati airport for hours on
Wednesday. Sonowal, who landed at
Guwahati from Tezpur, was stuck as the protesters gathered outside the airport. Earlier in the day, as
the protests turned violent, Assam Police had to resort to lathi-charge in
Dibrugarh. The action was taken as despite a warning, the protesters blocked an
ambulance.
The central government
has already ordered the induction of ten companies of Central Reserve Police
Force (CRPF) personnel to the state of Assam, in view of the rising unrest in
the region against the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB). The paramilitary
forces are to be transferred from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), where the law
and order situation, according to the Centre, has improved by now. Massive protests
erupted in Assam after Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 was passed in Lok Sabha
on late Monday night with 311 MPs voting in favour and 80 against it.
The protests are being
carried out by All Assam Students' Union (AASU) in Dibrugarh and North East
Students' Organisation (NESO) which also called for a 12-hour bandh in
Guwahati. After hours of debate
and high drama, the Citizenship Amendment Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha on
Wednesday, two days after it was passed in the Lok Sabha on late Monday night.
The Bill was introduced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who point by point
explained and exerted upon the importance of the Bill and its requirement in
the country.
Several members of the
opposition said that Bill was against the minorities, however, rebutting to
opposition's claim, Home Minister Amit Shah said that it was not against the
minorities and niether it was a political move. The Bill proposes to
amend the Citizenship Act, 1955. It was discussed amid huge uproar from
Opposition parties and protests in northeast states....
https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-indefinite-curfew-imposed-in-guwahati-violent-protests-in-assam-over-citizenship-amendment-bill-2805242see also
Read the
world-famous article by Anthony Mascarenhas, former Assistant Editor, Morning
News, Karachi: GENOCIDE:
Why the Refugees Fled (Sunday Times, London, June 13, 1971)
