Guwahati police chief removed as protests engulf Assam

In a major reshuffle, the Assam government on Thursday replaced the Guwahati Police commissioner and a senior officer responsible for law and order in the state, amid violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, officials said.

City police chief Deepak Kumar was removed and Munna Prasad Gupta was appointed in his place, Commissioner and Secretary (Home and Political) Ashutosh Agnihotri told PTI.

Gupta was earlier posted in the Special Protection Group.

Additional director general of police (law and order) Mukesh Agarwal was transferred as ADGP (CID) and GP Singh was given his charge.

Singh was earlier posted in New Delhi as inspector general of police at the National Investigation Agency.

ADGP (CID) LR Bishnoi has also been transferred as ADGP (training and armed police), the officials said.

ADGP SN Singh and deputy inspector general of police Anand Prakash Tiwari has also been brought in to supervise the law and order situation in the state, they said.

Thousands of people defied curfew in Guwahati and took to the streets, prompting police to open fire, even as protests against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill intensified in the state.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill seeks to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees coming from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan after facing religious persecution there.