Anti-CAA protests: Two more die of gunshot wounds in Guwahati, toll in police firing rises to 4

Anti-CAA protests: Two more die of gunshot wounds in Guwahati, toll in police firing rises to 4
Local community members take part in a protest rally against the new Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Jorhat, Assam, Sunday. Photo: PTI

Guwahati/Kolkata: Two more persons succumbed to gunshot wounds in Assam's Guwahati, taking the toll in police firing during violent protests against the amended Citizenship Act (CAA) to four, officials said on Sunday.

Gauhati Medical College and Hospital Superintendent Ramen Talukdar told the news agency PTI that one person died on Saturday night and another person lost his life on Sunday morning.

"Ishwar Nayak died last night and Abdul Alim succumbed to his injuries this morning," he said.

Twenty seven people were admitted to the hospital with bullet injuries since Wednesday, he added.

However, protesters claimed that five persons have died in police firing during the agitations against the contentious law.

Two persons, identified as Sam Stafford and Dipanjal Das, were shot dead on Thursday in Guwahati, which turned into a garrison town with Army, paramilitary and state police personnel present in every nook and corner.

Anti-CAA protests: Two more die of gunshot wounds in Guwahati, toll in police firing rises to 4
Family members grieve the death of her son Sam Stafford in Guwahati, Friday. Photo: PTI

However, protesters and All Assam Students' Union (AASU) have been claiming that three persons died of bullet injuries that day.

"They (government) have unleashed their oppressive machinery on people, killing five minor students and injuring many others with bullets. It is clear that the Sarbananda Sonowal government will be brought down," AASU President Dipanka Kumar Nath said.

Curfew imposed on Guwahati and parts of Dibrugarh district in the wake of the violent protests against CAA was relaxed on Sunday for several hours, police said.

Special trains have been arranged by the Assam tourism department in association with the railways to ferry passengers stranded in various parts of the state.

According to an official, curfew has been relaxed from 9am to 6pm in Guwahati. In Dibrugarh west, Naharkatia, Tenughat areas, it has been relaxed from 7am to 4pm.

Six flights, however, had to be cancelled, including one to Paro in Bhutan, in view of the law-and-order situation, an official of Airports Authority of India in Guwahati said.

Long queues were seen outside grocery shops at several places, including Dispur, Uzan Bazar, Chandmari, Silpukhuri and Zoo Road in Guwahati town. Auto-rickshaws and cycle- rickshaws were plying across the city since morning.

Petrol pumps have also opened with vehicles waiting in lines to refuel. Police were using loudspeakers to inform the public about the relaxation.

Meanwhile, members of the Guwahati unit of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) held demonstrations outside party headquarters in Ambari area, demanding resignation of three ministers, including party president Atul Bora.

Anti-CAA protests: Two more die of gunshot wounds in Guwahati, toll in police firing rises to 4
Police personnel attempt to disperse protestors during a demonstration against the passing of Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) at Santragachi in Howrah district of West Bengal, Saturday. Photo: PTI

AGP members in Parliament had voted in favour of the contentious bill.

Students' organisations AASU and AJYCP also took out rallies across the state, seeking revocation of the law.

Violent protests had erupted in the city and other parts of the state earlier this week after the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed in Parliament, with agitators engaging in pitched battles with the police, forcing the administration to impose curfew.

Bengal govt shuts down internet in parts of state

The West Bengal government on Sunday suspended internet services in some parts of the state following continuing violence by protesters railing against CAA.

Making the announcement, a state government statement said the internet services were being shut down in Malda, Murshidabad and Howah districts.

Sources said internet would also be shut down in Basirhat and Barasat sub-divisions of North 24 Parganas district and Baruipur and Canning sub-divisions of South 24 Parganas district.

Sporadic incidents of violence continue to be reported from these parts of the state, the police said.

The statement alleged that some "externally mobilised communal forces" were "inciting violence".

(With PTI inputs)

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