Curfew relaxed in Guwahati, Dibrugarh for few hours

The curfew, imposed in Guwahati and Dibrugarh town amid violent protests against the amended Citizenship Act, was relaxed on Saturday(December 14) for a few hours, officials said. The curfew has been relaxed in Guwahati from 9 am to 4 pm and in Dibrugarh from 8 am to 2 pm, they said.

Long queues were seen outside shops at several places, including Dispur, Uzan Bazar, Chandmari, Silpukhuri and Zoo Road.

Auto-rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws were plying across the city. However, buses were off roads. Petrol pumps in the city have also opened with vehicles waiting in lines to refuel. The curfew has been relaxed from 9 am to 4 pm, a police spokesperson said.

Police are using loudspeakers to inform the public about the relaxation, he added. Schools and offices, however, remained shut. After the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was cleared by Parliament, violent protests broke out in the city and other parts of the state with agitators engaging in pitched battles with the police, forcing the administration to impose curfew.

The legislation has put the entire Northeast on the boil where people fear that it may exacerbate the problem of illegal immigration.