Assam Police to Recover "Damage Cost" from Anti-CAA Protesters

Guwahati, Februuary, 20, 2020:

The Assam Police has claimed that the cost of damages during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in Assam will be recovered from the people involved in the protests.

Reportedly, the police have claimed that so far 450 persons in almost 270 cases were arrested across the state. All of them have been accused of violence during the protests against the CAA.

This was reportedly said by the Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order). He said that the step would be taken as per the law and everything will be implemented as per the law.

He added that the damage would be recovered from the “accused”.

He further said that all the persons arrested are currently lodged in different jails in the state and before any recovery for the damaged public as well as private property is initiated, an assessment will have to be done.

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Some persons among the arrested might not be involved in destruction or arson but their level of involvement during the vandalism will be verified.

Although there is no exact data on how much loss the state had to bear during the protests, the railway department said that loss of property damage to the railways was worth Rs. 12.50 crore in total with major damages reported in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts mainly.

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Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Ashish Sharma Mandal, Tinsukia, said that the CAA Andolans had impacted the two Upper Assam districts the most and three railway stations were completely damaged.

“Level-crossing gates, lodges of our gatemen and the tracks in between have been affected. Trains from Tinsukia stopped moving since the day the stations were destroyed, i.e. December 11, 2019. Immediate infrastructural damage of the Railway division, including the various departments, amount to Rs. 2.50 crore. But if all the delays, cancellations, including the diverted train services, are counted, then the loss is worth Rs. 12.50 crore.

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