Army Continues March through Burning Streets of Guwahati Metro

Guwahati, December 14, 2019:

"Day 2 of anti-CAB protests, army flag march on the streets, burning pyres all around, a few scattered protesters"

Spine-chilling footage has emerged from the streets of Guwahati city amid escalating tensions between the citizens of Assam and the Central Government – over implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

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Exclusive footage shot by a team of Inside Northeast reveals the stark reality of the mass protests that shook the State. In one particularly chilling visual, a flag march procession of the army can be seen snaking its way through the burning streets of the city. The footage that was shot on GS Road, the commercial hub of the city, shows the true nature of the protests – burning pyres as far as the eye can see.

ALSO READ: Upper Assam Continues to Burn Over Citizenship Amendment Act

The heavy deployment of Indian army troops (as many as fifteen companies were deployed across Assam) have been able to curb the protests to a great extent, however, the stir continues unabated in parts of Upper Assam, hundreds of kilometers away from Dispur.

Amid apprehensions that 1.7 crore non-Muslim migrants from neighboring Bangladesh will infiltrate the state once the CAB becomes a law, thousands upon thousands barged onto streets over the past week to express their distaste for this Bill.

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Violence was also reported from various corners of the city (as many as four lives were lost) – yet, the Government has more or less stayed silent. The biggest advocates of the Bill -- such as Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma – have completely disappeared from the scenario, after the uprisings across Assam took the form of a well-oiled mechanistic, and organized rebellion.

At the same time, the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and Home Minister, Amit Shah, keep singing the same tune – that opposers of the Bill are voicing the concerns of Pakistan. The rejection of the Bill by the masses is yet to receive the complete attention of the Central Government, and the State Machinery is yet to take cognizance of the gravity of the situation, it has been felt.

However, according to police, no reports of violence have been reported since yesterday evening in the city, which is slowly crawling back to normalcy.

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