Assam: Flights to and from Dibrugarh, Guwahati cancelled due to CAB protests

Amid protests in Assam over Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019, several flights to Guwahati and Dibrugarh along with many trains were either cancelled, diverted or rescheduled with airlines offering a fee waiver on cancellation or change fees. 

Several airlines including IndiGo, SpiceJet and Vistara have announced the cancellation of flights travelling to Guwahati and Dibrugarh on Thursday and Friday due to the on-going protests and unrest in the state. Passengers travelling to the two cities will be offered a fee waiver on cancellation or rescheduling fee

“Due to the prevailing situation in Assam, flights to/from Dibrugarh are cancelled for today. Flyers can choose an alternate flight or get a refund," IndiGo said.

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SpiceJet has also offered to refund and waiver the cancellation or change fees for all flights to and from Guwahati and Dibrugarh till Friday.

Other airlines like Vistara and GoAir also announced the cancellation of flights to these two cities and waiving of cancellation or rescheduling fee.

"Due to the ongoing unrest in Assam, we are waiving rescheduling/cancellation fee to the customers travelling to and from Guwahati and Dibrugarh till Dec 13, 2019. Fare difference if any, will be applicable. Thank you," Vistara tweeted.

"Due to the ongoing unrest situation in #Assam, we're offering fee waiver on cancellation/rescheduling (fare difference, if any, will be applicable) to our customers flying to/from #GAU till 13th Dec'19. Reach out to us on FB, Twitter or call us at 18602100999," GoAir said in a tweet.

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All flights travelling to and fro Kolkata and Dibrugarh have also been suspended as mentioned by an official at Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.

Shubhanan Chanda, North Frontier Railway, Chief Public Relation Officer, also stated that many passenger train services have either been cancelled or short-terminated or diverted in the midst of raging protests over passage of CAB in Assam. 

Guwahati and Dibrugarh districts have been placed under indefinite curfew till further orders after the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

The administration had suspended mobile Internet services for 24 hours from 7 pm on Wednesday in ten districts of the state -- Lakhimpur, Tinsukia, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Kamrup (metro) and Kamrup.

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PM Modi assures people of North East

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. In the shadow of the ongoing protests in the North-east, Prime Minister Narendra Modi came forward to reassure citizens of North East. 

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 seeks to grant Indian Citizenship to non-muslim refugees--members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian communities-- who have come from the neighbouring countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan to India till December 31, 2014.

(with inputs from ANI)

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