Indian Army issues advisory against 'fake news' amid CAA protests

On Friday, the Indian Army issued an advisory on Twitter telling people to be cautious about the fake news that was being spread on social media about army operations in the North-East. They said that 'disinformation' was being circulated in the name of news and also put up some screenshots of accounts that had posted fake news about 'encounters' and 'shooting' done by the army. The Northeast has been ablaze with protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019, post which army columns have been deployed in states to control the chaos.

Read: Dibrugarh: Northeast bandh continues over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019

Read: 11-hr Northeast bandh begins to protest against CAB

Around 26 Army columns have been deployed in Assam to support the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to handle the situation in the Northeast. The strength of one column is about 70 personnel of all ranks. In the restive areas of Assam and Tripura, Assam Rifles is managing the situation. At least two persons died due to bullet injuries on Thursday after police opened fire on protesters in Guwahati. On Wednesday, protesters pulled down hoardings erected in central Guwahati to welcome Abe. Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and parts of Arunachal Pradesh have been witnessing large-scale protests with thousands of people hitting the streets defying prohibitory orders to demand scrapping of the contentious law.

Read: Uproar in Rajya Sabha over Northeast violence; House adjourned for second time

Modi-Abe summit cancelled in Northeast

The annual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe scheduled from December 15-17 in Guwahati has been cancelled in the wake of massive protests rocking the Assam capital city over the amended citizenship law. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said both India and Japan have decided to "defer" Abe's visit for the summit to a mutually convenient date.

CAA sparks discontent in Northeast

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan if they faced religious persecution there. They will be given Indian citizenship after residing in the country for five years, instead of 11 years which is the current norm. Indigenous people of the Northeastern states are scared that the entry of these people will endanger their identity and livelihood.

Read: Protests in Northeast continue against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill

(with ANI inputs)