Monitoring Desk: Indian Army and Police shot dead 7 protestors in Guwahati who were demonstrating against controversial “Citizenship Bill”.
According to ND TV and other Indian media sources, total suspension of Internet services in 10 districts of Assam is hampering journalists to collect information and news gathering and number of death could be higher than known till filing of this report.
It is may be mentioned that internet and telephone services have been suspended in Assam on December 10, 2019.
“Police and Army jawans were directly firing at mob protesting against controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill on Thursday evening. At least seven dead bodies were seen but police are not allowing media to reach the hospitals and troubled areas to find the real number of dead and injured”, informed a local journalist Chandara Bhawan.
ND TV reported that thousands of demonstrators have gathered in streets and mains roads after firing on protestors in defiance of a curfew imposed on the city after the parliament cleared the contentious legislation on Wednesday night.
ND TV also reported that mob marched towards the residence of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Union Minister Rameswar Teli and then Army jawans opened direct fire on protestors, resulting killing of several people while dozens got bullet injuries.
What is Citizenship (Amendment) Bill?
The Bill seeks to amend the Citizenship Act 1955 so that non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan can be offered an expedited path to citizenship.
For the first time there is a statutory attempt to offer privileges to certain faiths (Hindus) and Muslims are excluded from the possibility of amnesty and citizenship.
Millions of Bangladeshi and Burmese Muslims came to Assam in last 50 years but they cannot enjoy the status of an Indian citizen and they have to leave Islam to get Indian citizenship.
The Bill states that non-Muslims from three Muslim-majority countries (Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan) will be granted citizenship if they have faced religious persecution in their countries; or if they migrated to India fearing such persecution.
Updates
Official News Agency of India, PRESS TRUST of India (PTI) reported that five columns of the army had been deployed in Assam
PTI also added that two railway stations in Dibrugarh’s Chabua and Tinsukia were attacked by mob.
