Northeast shuts to protest CAB despite ILP in Manipur

Assam artists to shun Indo-Japan meet

The 11-hour shutdown called by organisations opposing the Centre's Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, saw violent protests in most parts of the Northeast on Tuesday while a group of artists in Assam threatened to boycott the India-Japan summit scheduled to be held here from December 15 to 17.

The Bill that seeks to allow non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who had migrated due to "religious persecution" till December 2014 to apply for Indian citizenship was passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday night despite long protests across the region.

Protesters blocked many roads, burnt tyres, hanged and burnt effigies of senior BJP leaders and even cased convoys of ministers as most offices, schools and market places remained shut and normal life came to a standstill. Protesters clashed with police in Guwahati and, in at least three places in Tripura, prompted security forces to blank fire and burst tear gas shells.

"The total shutdown today is a message to the BJP-led government at the Centre that the seven states of the Northeast are together. Entire Northeast is against the Citizenship Amendment Bill as it will allow large number of illegal migrants to become citizens and reduce the indigenous people into minorities in their own land. Despite protests, the Centre passed it in the Lok Sabha showing its disregard for the indigenous people. But we will continue to fight against it together," said a statement issued by North East Students' Union (NESO), which called the bandh.

The protesters did not relent despite Home Minister Amit Shah's promise of "adequate steps" to protect interests of the indigenous communities. Many called Shah's promise a tactic of the divide and rule policy.

The All Assam Students' Union said the Bill violates the Assam Accord of 1985, which promised to detect and deport all post-1971 migrants, irrespective of religion. They want all foreigners, irrespective of religion must be detected based on March 24, 1971, as the cut-off date.

Boycott to Modi-Abe summit

A group of actors, singers and filmmakers, who staged a protest against the CAB on Tuesday, said they would boycott the cultural programmes being chalked out for the India-Japan bilateral summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, scheduled to be held in Guwahati from December 15 to 17.

They appealed to all the other artists to boycott it to drive home their protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. National award-winning Assamese filmmaker Jahnu Barua decided to withdraw his acclaimed movie Bhoga Khiriki from the state film awards as a mark of his protest.

Internet service suspended in Tripura

Police in Tripura issued an order on Tuesday afternoon that suspended mobile internet and SMS text services in view of violence that erupted between the CAB supporters and those opposing it in Manu and Kanchanpur area in Tripura North and Sipahijala district.