Section 144 imposed in Guwahati as agitations over Citizenship Bill intensify

Guwahati, January 10, 2019:

Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure (CrPc) has been imposed in Guwahati in view of the mass protests which have erupted across the state to prevent the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 from being implemented. Section 144 empowers an executive magistrate to prohibit assembly of more than four persons in an area. According to 141-149 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the maximum punishment for engaging in rioting is rigorous imprisonment for 3 years and/or fine.

Many protests have been witnessed in the state today, with KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi waving aloft the Assamese ‘gamucha’ as a sign of protest against the apparent threat faced by the Assamese jati in view of the implementation of the contentious Bill, which seeks to grant asylum to non-Muslim migrants from the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Akhil Gogoi, who has been at the forefront of the protest, has promised to take the protests to the grassroots level starting tomorrow onwards.

Incidents of violence have also been reported in numerous regions of the state with acts of vandalism and scuffles with authorities by protesters becoming commonplace. Section 144 will cover areas under Bhangagarh, Dispur, Basistha, Hatigaon, Sonapur and Khetri police stations and it is to be seen whether it will be able to quell the protests.