As protests in Guwahati intensify against the Citizen (Amendment) Bill, 2019, the pre-match press conference of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2019-20 game between NorthEast United and Chennaiyin FC, scheduled for Thursday, has been cancelled.
At a time when almost the entire North East region is witnessing huge public protests against the Bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday night, the future of the ISL match seems bleak. The match has been scheduled to play at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati.
NorthEast United have had a roller-coaster campaign in the ongoing season of the ISL. With two wins, four draws and one defeat, the Guwahati-based side have 10 points and are currently placed fifth in the points table.
Chenniayin FC, on the other hand, are in the middle of a disastrous campaign and have just managed to earn 6 points in the opening 7 games. With only one win, three draws and three defeats, the two-time former champions are the second-last team in the table.
As far as the situation in North East is concerned, such has been the intensity of the protests that the government deployed the Army in parts of Assam and Tripura. According to a PTI report, 5000 paramilitary personnel are being transferred to the North East to keep the situation under control after Assam endured a complete day of the shutdown.
Fresh protests have erupted from various parts of the North East after the bill was put to debate on Wednesday in the Rajya Sabha. And to tackle the situation, the police fired rubber bullets and resorted to lathi-charge in Dibrugarh district of Assam.