NE NEWS SERVICE
GUWAHATI, DECEMBER 12
Assam continued to be in flames on Thursday as anti-Citizenship Amendment Bill (cab) protesters set ablaze the house of an MLA, torched vehicles and burnt down a circle office as the state government removed two key police officers, including the Guwahati Police Commissioner.
The Army conducted flag march in Guwahati, while the authorities extended the suspension on internet services across the state for another 48 hours from 12 noon on Thursday, even as most airlines cancelled flights to and from Dibrugarh and Guwahati, and train movement was halted.
Munna Prasad Gupta was appointed the new Guwahati police chief replacing Deepak Kumar, while state Additional General of Police (Law and Order) Mukesh Agarwal was also transferred out.
In an appeal to the people, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal called for maintaining peace and calm.
“I assure the people of Assam full protection to ensure their identity as a whole,” Sonowal said in a statement here, urging the masses to “please come forward and create a situation of peace and tranquillity.”
“I hope the people will consider this appeal sensibly,” he said.
Officials said protesters set fire to the house of MLA Binod Hazarika in Chabua and went on a rampage torching vehicles and the circle office.
With the situation worsening, the Army was conducting flag marches in Guwahati where protesters violated the curfew on Thursday morning.
Most flights to and from Guwahati and Dibrugarh have been cancelled by various airlines, while the railways suspended all passenger train services to Assam.
“Indigo Airlines has cancelled one flight to Guwahati from Kolkata. The flights to Dibrugarh are being cancelled by most airlines due to the ongoing protests. However, Indigo will operate a ferry flight to bring back the stranded passengers from Dibrugarh,” an NSCBI Airport spokesperson said.
A Northeast Frontier Railway official said the decision to suspend passenger train operations to Assam and Tripura was taken on Wednesday night in view of the security situation.
A large number of passengers were stranded at Guwahati and Kamakhya with the railways short-terminating long distance trains at Guwahati.
Three persons are reported to have died and several others injured in firing by police and security forces at different places in Guwahati and other parts of the state. Three of the injured are serious and admitted in Guwahati Medical College hospital.
While one of the dead in firing was identified as Dipanjal Das, the remaining two could not be identified till filing of this report.
Protesters also attacked the vehicle of state Director General of Police (DGP) Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta. But DGP escaped unhurt.
