President Ramnath Kovind gave his assent to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the wee hours of Friday granting CAB the status of an Act.
CAB had been tabled and passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday and was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The Act may be viewed here:
#CABBill2019 received the assent of the President of India on the 12th December, 2019. THE CITIZENSHIP (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2019 has been notified in the Gazette of India. pic.twitter.com/CTOw5rLaEW
— Spokesperson, Ministry of Home Affairs (@PIBHomeAffairs) December 13, 2019
Meanwhile, the Northeast remained on the edge with many instances of clashes between protesters and security forces being reported from different parts of Assam. In a move reminiscent of the detention of opposition leaders in Kashmir, prominent anti-CAB activist and peasant leader Akhil Gogoi was arrested from Jorhat in Assam. Gogoi is an adviser of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and had earlier in the day addressed a gathering of close to 3,000 people. Authorities say his arrest was a measure to prevent any “untoward incident”.
Meanwhile, internet services were suspended for 48 hours in Meghalaya. The Meghalaya police, ironically, took to Twitter to announce the internet shutdown!
Meanwhile, curfew has been imposed in some parts of the state’s capital of Shillong. The prohibitory orders may be viewed here:
It is to be informed to all residents of East Jaintia Hills District that CURFEW shall be imposed in certain areas of Shillong City (see attached pic) w.e.f. 10 PM today. Further, Mobile Internet & SMS Service shall also remain suspended for next 48 hrs.@MeghalayaPolice pic.twitter.com/wxIMhNSDnY
— ?? East Jaintia Hills Police ?? (@ejhpolice) December 12, 2019
Protestors also heckled Chief Minister Conrad Sangma as he alighted from his chopper at Williamnagar to take part in an event to commemorate the death anniversary of a freedom fighter.
Related:
3 killed in anti-CAB protests in Assam
Anti-CAB protestors defy curfew in Assam, PM’s tweet useless amidst internet shutdown