Protests against Citizenship Bill continue in Assam; Sonowal shown black flags

Protests against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill continued for the fourth week in Assam and state Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal was shown black flags in Chirang district on Monday.

Students Federation of India activists waved black flags at Sonowal's convoy when he was on way from the helipad to a school he was to inaugurate in Bijni town.

The protestors were then forcibly removed and three persons were taken into custody, the department said.

In Dhubri district on the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra river, various political, social and students organisations took out a massive rally to protest against the Bill and demanded its withdrawal.

The Bill, passed in Lok Sabha on January 8, seeks to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

A large section of people in the northeast have opposed the Bill, saying it would nullify the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985, which fixed March 24, 1971, as the cut-off date for ...