Amid protests, Home Minister Amit Shah cancels visit to Shillong on Sunday

Home Minister Amit Shah’s impending visit to Meghalaya which was scheduled for Sunday has been cancelled as per sources from the Home Ministry. The Home Minister was slated to visit the Northeast Police Academy in Shillong which has been witnessing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. 

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Reportedly, the Home Minister will visit poll-bound Jharkhand on Saturday and Monday. The development has come amidst the ongoing protests in the Northeast concerning the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) which was passed recently in both houses of Parliament and signed by President on Thursday to become a law. 

Internet suspended in North-east

The Meghalaya government on Thursday suspended mobile internet and messaging services across the state for 48 hours due to deteriorating law and order situation triggered by protests over the bill. The areas where the curfew will remain effective include areas under Sadar and Lumdiengjri police stations - the whole of Jaiaw, Mawkhar, Umsohsun, Riatsamthiah, Wahingdoh, Mission, Mawprem, Lumdiengjri, Lama Villa, Qualapatty, Wahthapbru, Sunny Hill, Cantonment, Butcher Road, Mawlonghat excluding localities beyond Umshyrpri bridge. Neighbouring states such as Assam and Tripura are undergoing similar unrest over the passing of CAB.

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About CAB 

After being passed in both houses of Parliament, the Citizenship Amendment Bill was signed by President Ram Nath Kovind making it a law. The Citizenship Amendment Act grants Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Through this act, Indian citizenship can be sought by the members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities, who have come from the three countries to India till December 31, 2014, to put an end to them being treated as illegal immigrants in the country. The Bill had been passed by the Lok Sabha earlier this year but lapsed with the term of the previous Lok Sabha during the first term of the PM Narendra Modi government in the Centre. The bill was again passed in the winter session of Lok Sabha with a roaring majority of 311 votes in favour while 80 against the Bill, and in Rajya Sabha with 125 in favour of the bill out of the 245 member Rajya Sabha.

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