uwahati, December 13

Goods flew off shelves as locals rushed to stock up essential items after shops and markets in Guwahati opened Friday morning amid reports that curfew has been relaxed, which were later dismissed by the authorities.

Long queues were seen outside shops at the Uzan Bazar, Chandmari, Silpukhuri and Zoo Road areas with people coming out in their cars and two-wheelers after some local channels reported that the prohibitory orders have been relaxed from 6 am to 1 pm.

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An Assam Police spokesman later clarified that there was no order about the curfew being relaxed and restrictions will be in force.

The restrictions were imposed at 6.15 pm on Thursday after violent protests against the amended Citizenship Act.

Security forces personnel who are manning each and every corner of the city, however, did not enforce closure of the markets and restrict movement of vehicles.

Long queues were seen outside grocery stores, shops selling poultry items and fish. Many said they were stocking items for at least three-four days in wake of the uncertainties amid the protests.

Flag marches by the Army and personnel of the security forces are being conducted across the city.

Also, civic workers were seen clearing barricades, bricks and stones, burnt tyres and other things that dotted the city roads after the pitched battle between protestors and police on Thursday that left two persons dead.

Public transport, including buses, was off roads.

A large number of people, including artists, singers and filmstars, are observing a 10-hour fast called by the influential students’ organisation against the Citizenship Act from 6 am.

AASU chief advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya said that the protests will continue.

“We will not succumb to any pressure and our agitation will continue,” he said.

Assam has been on the boil for the past several days as thousands of people have come out on the streets to protest against the amendment of the Citizenship Act. Two persons were killed in police firing in the state on Thursday.

Indigenous people of the Northeastern states are scared that the entry of these people will endanger their identity and livelihood.

Various organisations of the region have launched a series of agitations against the Bill.

On Thursday, two persons were killed in police firing and thousands descended on streets defying curfew as Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed his government was committed to safeguarding their rights.

Several towns and cities were placed under indefinite curfew, including Guwahati, the epicentre of protests, besides Dibrugarh, Tezpur, and Dhekiajuli. Night curfew was imposed in Jorhat, Golaghat, Tinsukia and Charaideo districts, officials said.

Internet services in 10 districts were suspended for another 48 hours beginning 12 pm on Thursday to prevent “misuse” of social media to disturb peace and tranquility, and to maintain law and order, officials said.

The state government had removed the Guwahati Police commissioner Deepak Kumar and appointed Munna Prasad Gupta in his place on Thursday.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Mukesh Agarwal was also transferred and replaced by ADGP (CID) GP Singh.

President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday gave his assent to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, turning it into an Act.

According to the Act, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014, and facing religious persecution there will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed by Rajya Sabha on Wednesday and by Lok Sabha on Monday.

Trains cancelled 

At least 106 passenger trains were either cancelled or short terminated by Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) in view of disruptions in train movement following protests against the amended Citizenship Act since Wednesday, the NFR said in a statement said on Friday.

The NFR has cancelled up and down Guwahati-Dimapur BG Express, Sealdah-Agartala Kanchanjungha Express and the Howrah-Dibrugarh Kamrup Express that were supposed to operate on Friday and Saturday, the NFR statement said.

Some trains such as Guwahati-Jorhat Janshatabdi Express, up and down Tinsukia-Naharlagun Intercity Express, Rajendranagar-New Tinsukia Express, Sealdah-Silchar Kanchanjungha Express, have been cancelled on Saturday.

The Jorhat-Guwahati Janshatabdi Express, Bangalore-Agartala Humsafar Express, up and down Dibrugarh-Ekargaon Special, up and down Lumding-Tinsukia passenger, up and down Dimapur -Mariani passenger, up and down Simaluguri-Dibrugarh passenger and Jorhat-Tinsuka passenger have also been cancelled on Saturday.

The statement also said that trains from Ledo to Dibrugarh and back, Dibrugarh to Dangri and back, up and down New Tinsukia-Rangiya Intercity Express and the Rangiya-New Tinsukia Intercity Express, Tinsukia-Jorhat passenger, up and down Dibrugarh-Murkongselek passenger would not be operated on Saturday and Sunday.

The Rajdhani Express which left New Delhi on December 12 has been short terminated.

Services between Guwahati and Dibrugarh will remain partially cancelled.

The Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express of December 16 will remain partially cancelled, the release quoted NFR Chief Public Relations Officer Subhanan Chanda as saying.

In addition, the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express, which left Chandigarh on December 11 will be short terminated at Guwahati and will remain partially cancelled between Guwahati and Dibrugarh, while the Dibrugarh-Tambaram Express of December 15 will remain partially cancelled between Dibrugarh-Guwahati.

It will start from Guwahati on December 17, the CPRO said.

The Tripura Sundari Express will operate as a passenger special from Badarpur to Agartala with stranded passengers, he said.

The up and down Dharmanagar-Silchar passenger and Agartala-Dharmanagar passenger of Saturday were restored, Chanda added.

Anti-CAB protests in Arunchal

In Arunchal, students’ unions boycotted their examination to hit the streets across cities against the law.

Thousands of agitators, led by Rajiv Gandhi University Students’ Union (RGUSU) and Students’ Union of NERIST (SUN), marched from the varsity to Raj Bhavan, covering a distance of around 30 km on the hilly terrain.

Local people, along with those belonging to the Assamese community, also joined the rally here to protest against the controversial law, most of them raising slogans against the BJP-led government at the Centre.

In Arunchal, protesters claimed that Assam was the gateway to the northeast, and the region would suffer if the state gets affected.

The agitators submitted a memorandum to Governor BD Mishra, stressing that the amended Act would not be implemented in the state.

“We oppose the Citizenship Act and want its immediate revocation. The law will divide the region along religious lines and jeopardise the existence of the indigenous people,” one the protesters claimed.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday directed state officials to ensure strict checking of Inner Line Permits (ILP) in check gates across the state.

Khandu also asked Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar and Director General of Police RP Upadhyaya to instruct all the deputy commissioners and superintendents of police to be vigilant and conduct regular patrolling for ensuring safety and security of the state people, an official release said.

The chief minister has sought daily reports on the action taken in this regard, officials said.

The amended Citizenship Bill exempts tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram or Tripura as included in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and areas covered under The Inner Line (ILP) regime, notified under Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.

Outsiders—including those from other parts of India—need permission to visit the ILP-regime states. The amended Citizenship Act will not apply to Arunachal Pradesh as the ILP system is in force in the state.

The administration was trying its best to provide petrol and diesel to the commuters at a prescribed limit per individual, a government official in Arunchal Pradesh said.

Protesters, however, claimed that Assam was the gateway to the northeast, and the region would suffer if the state gets affected.

Fuel goes up

Meanwhile, petrol and diesel crisis hit Arunachal Pradesh on Friday, especially in the state capital, as people queued up at fuel outlets, fearing that supply might get hit amid protests across the region.

The administration was trying its best to provide petrol and diesel to the commuters at a prescribed limit per individual, a government official said.

“All petrol depots in the state capital will be opened to the public for a few hours in the evening. The long queues at the fuel outlets have led to traffic snarls in the state capital,” the official added.

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 12

As last-minute preparations were in full swing for the three-day Military Literature Festival that is scheduled to commence here tomorrow, inclement weather has cast a shadow of the vent.

As the city experienced heavily overcast skies with intermittent showers and a dip in temperature, the weatherman has predicted rain for tomorrow and hazy skies over the next two days.

The festival will be inaugurated by Punjab Governor and UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore, at the Lake Club tomorrow. In addition to sessions on contemporary strategic and military issues like China’s belt and road initiative, Taliban in Kashmir and Afghanistan and defence industry in India, historical topics, book discussions audio-video shows will mark the event’s first day.

A display of weapons and equipment by the Army, an exhibition on military artefacts and martial heritage, book launches and martial dances will also be organised.

Photo for representation.

Chandigarh, December 10

A 25-year-old sepoy serving in the Indian Army was arrested in Punjab for allegedly stealing two INSAS rifles and ammunition from army’s training institute in Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh, police said on Tuesday.

The stolen arms and ammunition have been recovered, according to Hoshiarpur Senior Superintendent of Police, Gaurav Garg.

Harpreet Singh, who was declared a “military deserter” in October by the army, was arrested from Chotala village near Tanda in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district on Monday, said Garg.

He was booked under relevant sections of 380 (theft), 399 (making preparation to commit dacoity) and 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) of the IPC and the Arms Act, the SSP said.

His three accomplices, including one Jagtar Singh alias Jagga—son of Harbhajan Singh, who is an accused in the drones arms drop case in Punjab’s Tarn Taran in September, were also arrested, Garg said. 

Posing as army officers, the accused had stolen the rifles and ammunition in the early hours of December 6, sending the police into a tizzy and forcing them to sound a high alert.

Police claimed that Harpreet Singh, who belongs to Hoshiarpur’s Miani village, along with his accomplices had allegedly planned to loot some jewellery and garments shops and also steal cars to make a quick buck as he wanted to pay-off a debt of about Rs 60 lakh owed by his family.

“He wanted to make quick money through illegal activities,” the SSP told PTI over phone.

However, the police said that foreign hand behind the theft cannot be ruled out yet and the case is being investigated from all angles. —

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 9

The Supreme Court has upheld a landmark decision of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) that had granted a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the widow of a soldier who had died in 1998 while in service due to alleged negligence on part of the Army authorities in handling his medical case.

The tribunal’s Chandigarh Bench, then comprising Justice Ghanshyam Prashad and Lt Gen HS Panag, had in 2011 ruled that callousness towards human life would not be tolerated and had granted the widow, Navindra Devi, Special Family Pension along with monetary compensation.

The petitioner’s husband had been posted near Bikaner when he developed psychiatric problems for which he was given electric shocks at a civil hospital. Thereafter, he was sent on leave to recuperate. A few days after returning from leave, the psychiatrically ill solider wandered out of the unit and went missing.

He was found near the Delhi Railway Station by the Government Railway Police, who requested the Army authorities to take him back. However, rather than sending a team to bring him back, his unit and military authorities in Delhi kept exchanging letters and shifting the onus on each other.

While the correspondence continued, the railway police let go of him when no one came to take him. His body was recovered the next day from a well.

The AFT had observed that there was negligence in handling the issue since no care was taken to keep the soldier under medical supervision and then to bring him back from the police. The AFT also observed that a court of inquiry was not held which was mandatory under rules and it was held 11 years after the death on judicial intervention. The Army had challenged the AFT’s order, but the apex court has dismissed the appeal and directed the government to release the amount to the aggrieved widow within eight weeks.

The case

• The petitioner’s husband, posted near Bikaner, developed psychiatric problems and was sent on leave. After returning, he wandered out of the unit
• He was found near the Delhi Railway Station by the police, who requested the Army authorities to take him back
• However, his unit and military authorities in Delhi kept on shifting the onus on each other. The police let him go. The soldier was found dead in a well a day later

Chandigarh, December 12

A war decorated Israeli General, who had cut short his honeymoon in Nepal, to answer a call to arms would be participating in the Military Literature Festival and talking about his battle experiences.

Then a Lieutenant Colonel during the Yom Kippur War in October 1973, Maj Gen Yosi Ben-Hannan was awarded the Medal of Courage, Israel’s second highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy. This is for the first time that an Israeli military officer would be speaking at the festival.

In 1973, while on his honeymoon in Nepal, Ben Hannan heard of the outbreak of the war and returned to Israel and proceeded to the Golan Heights where he participated in fierce fighting with the Syrians. He was wounded but refused to be evacuated and continued fighting. According to available excerpts of the battle, on October 9, Ben-Hannan took command of a scratch force of Israeli tanks that had been put together from the remnants of the decimated 188th Armored Brigade. — TNS

Photo for representational purpose only. Thinkstock

New Delhi, December 9

The government has approved admission of girl students in five Sainik schools for the academic session 2020-21 after a pilot project and now decided to admit girls in all 31 Sainik schools in the country for which a time-bound action plan will be implemented, the Rajya Sabha was told on Monday.

Minister of State for Defence Shripad Yesso Naik said during Question Hour that the government has approved admission of girls in five Sainik Schools—Kalikiri (Andhra Pradesh), Kodagu (Karnataka), Ghorakhal (Uttarakhand), Chandrapur (Maharashtra) and Bijapur (Karnataka) for the academic session 2020-21.

“The pilot project for admission of girl children in Sainik School, Chhingchhip (Mizoram) was started in the academic session 2018-19. After its success, the Government has decided to implement admission of girl children in other Sainik Schools,” Naik said.

In reply to a supplementary, the minister said girls will be admitted in “all 31 Sainik Schools” and for this a “time-bound action will be taken.”

In reply to another supplementary, Naik said the government has made a provision of 10 per cent reservation for girls in such schools.

In reply to another query, the minister said that if any state felt the need for Sainik schools they can send the proposal to the Centre. PTI

Chandigarh, December 12

Terming the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) as a direct assault on India’s secular character, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday said his government would not allow the legislation to be implemented in his state.

Asserting his commitment to the protection of the Constitutional ethos of the country, Capt Amarinder said the Congress, which had a majority in the state Assembly, would block the “unconstitutional Bill” in the House.

His government, on its part, would not let the legislation rip apart the secular fabric of the country, whose strength lies in its diversity, said the Chief Minister, a day after the Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha. “Parliament has no authority to pass a law that defiled the Constitution and violates its basic principles and fundamental rights of the people,” said the Chief Minister, declaring CAB to be “null and void” on account of the fact that it was against the tenets and values contained in the Constitution. — TNS

Photo for representation.

New Delhi, December 9

A Bill providing a maximum punishment of life imprisonment for manufacturing and carrying illegal arms was approved by Lok Sabha on Monday.

Piloted by Home Minister Amit Shah, the Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2019 also ensures that those using firearms in a rash or negligent manner in celebratory gunfire, endangering human life or personal safety of others, shall be punishable with an imprisonment to two years or with fine which may extend to Rs one lakh or with both.

The Bill was passed by the Lower House after rejecting several amendments moved by the Opposition members.

Replying to a nearly three-hour debate, Shah said the Bill has been brought as a requirement to significantly impose weapons control in the country.

The Home Minister said that the Bill has accorded special status to sportsperson who need firearms and ammunition for practice and participating in tournaments.

“They (sportspersons) will be entitled to get licences for different types of firearms,” Shah added.

Under the proposed provision, a person can have a maximum of two firearms, as against the present norm of three, he added.

“Many suggestions came including keeping two firearms by an individual. I have moved official amendment in this regard also,” he said.

As per the Bill, those who own more than two firearms will have to deposit the third one with authorities or authorised gun dealers within 90 days for de-licensing once the amendment is approved by Parliament.

“There were many discrepancies in the six-decade-old law making crime control difficult,” he said.

Shah said there is a provision for life imprisonment for those who snatch or loot arms and ammunition from police or defence forces.

The Bill seeks to enhance punishment for illegally possessing and making prohibited arms, besides other changes in the six-decade-old Arms Act.

As per the Bill, the government proposes to amend Section 25 (1AA) of the Arms Act, 1959, to give punishment from the usual life term of 14 years to “imprisonment for the remainder of that person’s life” for manufacturing, selling, repairing and possessing “prohibited” arms.

The minimum punishment under this section will be 14 years.

Under the present law, the offence invites imprisonment of not less than seven years but may extend to life imprisonment—mostly up to 14 years.

According to an estimate, India has a total of around 35 lakh gun licences. Thirteen lakh people have licences to carry weapons in Uttar Pradesh, followed by militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir, where 3.7 lakh people possess arms licences, most of which were taken in the name of personal security.

Punjab, which witnessed terrorism in 1980s and 1990s, has around 3.6 lakh active gun licences, most of which were issued during the two decades of strife. — PTI