CAA: Curfew eased off in Guwahati and parts of Dibrugarh District of Assam

The indefinite curfew imposed in Guwahati and parts of Dibrugarh district amid protests against the amended Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019, was relaxed on Monday, December 16 between 6 am to 8 pm by the Assam administration. 
According to officials, the curfew has been relaxed in Guwahati and Dibrugarh district.

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Citing the relaxation in the curfew, Union Minister of State (MoS) for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Jitendra Singh, asserted that the situation is fast returning to normal.

"Now the situation is normal as compared to earlier. It is true that in the first two days some incidences of violence took place but the relaxation in curfew for 12 hours, that too on the demand of public clearly shows that situation is fast returning to normal," said Singh.

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The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was cleared by Parliament on December 11 and it became an Act thereupon after the Presidential assent the next day. Violent protests broke out in the city and other parts of the state with agitators engaging in pitched battles with the police, forcing the administration to impose a curfew.

As many as 26 Army columns have been deployed in Assam to assist the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to handle the situation.

READ | Curfew Relaxed In Dibrugarh, Protesters Observing Fast In Guwahati

Meanwhile, SMS and mobile internet services have been withdrawn for 48 hours since 5 pm on December 14, an official said. Banks and educational institutions have been shut since December 11 and the North Eastern Hill University has also postponed all examinations to February 2020. 

And death toll in the protest has doubled as four people have lost their lives and many have succumbed to injuries caused by the police in Assam to date. The Assam Police has so far arrested 175 people and detained 1,460 protesters for indulging in violent agitations across the Northeastern state.

In the wake of furious protests across Northeast opposing the implementation of CAA, the assembly will be holding a special one-day session on December 19 to allow the government to pass a resolution to demand the implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) in the state.

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(With Inputs from ANI)