Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday sought to assure the people of Assam saying that they have nothing to worry about after the passing of the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Both houses of Parliament have passed the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill that seeks to give Indian citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh after facing religious persecution there.
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According to the proposed legislation, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities, who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, till December 31, 2014, facing religious persecution there, will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.
Protests have erupted in the northeast, especially in Assam and Tripura, as the indigenous people are worried that the entry of these people will endanger their identity and livelihood.
As protests over CAB turned violent in Assam, PM Modi took to Twitter to assure the people of the state that they have nothing to worry adding that no one can take away their rights, identity and culture.
Modi further said that the Central Government and the PM himself are “totally committed to constitutionally safeguard the political, linguistic, cultural and land rights of the Assamese people as per the spirit of Clause 6.”
To control the deteriorating law and order situation in Assam, eight columns of the Indian Army was on Thursday deployed in Assam and Tripura as per the requests made by the governments of the two states.
Five columns, each consisting of 70 soldiers and one or two officers, were deployed in Assam, while three columns have been deployed in Tripura.
Protesters hit the streets in thousands, burning tyres and wooden logs, prompting the administration to impose curfew in Assam’s Guwahati.
The Army also undertook a flag march in Dibrugarh.
At least 25 protesters — among them several students — sustained injuries as they fought pitched battles with the police in different parts of the state.
Both Assam and Tripura plunged into chaos after the Lok Sabha had passed the Bill on Monday midnight and the situation deteriorated after the legislation passed its final hurdle in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday night.
Internet services have been suspended in both the states over fears of the misuse of social media to disturb peace.