Normal life came to a standstill in Assam on Tuesday in spontaneous protests by people during the 11-hour statewide bandh called by students' unions and Left-democratic organisations against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which was passed on Monday night.
The Bill seeks to provide Indian citizenship to minorities facing religious persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Protestors hit the streets through the day in all districts of the state, blocked roads, burnt tyres, threw stones and shouted slogans.
They burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, NEDA convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Students of all universities, barring those of the Assam University in Silchar, intellectuals, artistes, litterateurs, filmmakers, social and business organisations hit the streets to protest against the bill. All political parties except the ruling BJP-AGP-BPF combine also joined the protests against the legislation.
In Guwahati minister's convoys were blocked or chased by the demonstrators, who also burnt an MP's effigy outside her house.
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Sonowal's motorcade had to be diverted through narrow lanes as protestors blocked the arterial M G Road through which he was scheduled to pass, while Assam Education Minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya's convoy had to reverse the entire length of the G S Road flyover as a mob chased him.
Water Rescources Minister Keshav Mahanta's convoy too returned from Ganeshguri area as protestors approached it.
Demonstrators attempted to enter Guwahati BJP MP, Queen Oja's residence at Ulubari area and on being stopped by security forces, burnt her effigy outside it.
The protestors also marched towards Finance and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's house in Zoo Road but were stopped by the security forces.
Sarma, also the NEDA convenor, was shown black flags at Diphu Medical College by All Assam Students Union activists when he went there for an inspection.
Police lathicharged and teargassed protestors when they marched towards the state secretariat and the MLA hostel demanding that the elected representatives come out and clear their stands on CAB.
The march continued even after the shut-down ended at 4 p.m and the protestors were stopped at the barricades by the Joint Commissioner of Police Debraj Upadhay, who was seen urging them to disperse as the bandh had ended.
The headquarters of the state BJP and its ally AGP at Hengrabari and Ambari respectively in the city were gheraoed by them, while the RSS office at Sadiya in Tinsukia district was vandalised by a mob.
Shouting slogans against the CAB, the protestors also gheraoed the Doordarshan Kendra here and the office of a private channel 'Newslive', which is owned by Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, the finance minister's wife, for allegedly not reporting the protests adequately and in proper perspective.
All vehicles, including Assam State Transport Corporation buses remained off the road and educational institutions and private offices were closed. Attendance in government offices was thin.
Train services across Assam were affected with picketers blocking movement of trains by squatting on railway tracks. They even attempted to block the entrance of Northeast Frontier Railway headquarters here as well as the divisional railway manager's office at Rangia in Kamrup district, a NF Railway spokesperson said.
All scheduled examinations were rescheduled by the universities in the state in view of the shutdown.
An official said three bandh supporters were injured when they clashed with CISF personnel while trying to prevent the workers of Oil India Ltd (OIL) office at Duliajan in Dibrugarh district, an official said.
The bandh was total in the sixth schedule areas of Kokrajhar, Udalguri, Baksa and Chirang in BTAD, Dima Hasao, East and West Karbi Anglong districts which have been exempted from the purview of the CAB.
The bandh, however, evoked partial response in the three districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi in Barak Valley where the majority of the Hindu Bengalis hailing from Bangladesh reside and are expected to benefit from the CAB.
As soon as the Bandh ended, protestors took out torch light processions in several districts.
Leaders of AASU, which is spearheading the agitation in the state, said they will move the Supreme Court against the contentious bill as the legislation will not be accepted under any circumstance and the students union will continue with their agitation against it.
KMSS, a peasants body, has called a 'hartal' tomorrow across Assam.
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