CAB protests: 5,000 personnel airlifted to northeast; Army deployed in Assam, Tripura

Assam, Dec 11 :
The Army has been deployed in Assam and Tripura as protests against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill turned violent in the northeastern states. According to reports, two columns—each consists of at least 70 soldiers—have been dispatched to the Kanchanpur and Manu areas of Tripura while another column is on standby at Bongaingon in Assam.
The Centre has also airlifted 5,000 paramilitary personnel to northeastern states, including Assam, for maintenance of law and order duties in the wake of fierce protests over the bill.
The troops are from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
The Army deployment comes even as the bill is being debated in the Rajya Sabha. The Lok Sabha has already passed the bill.
According to PTI, nearly 20 companies (2,000 personnel) of paramilitary forces have been withdrawn from Kashmir, where they had been sent prior to the Centre’s decision on August 5 to abrogate Article 370 provisions and split the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories.
The remaining 30 companies have been withdrawn from other places and rushed to the northeastern states.
In Assam, tens of thousands of protesters descended on the streets on Wednesday, clashing with police and plunging the state into chaos. Protesters, a majority of them students, fought pitched battles with security forces in the restive state, including in front of the secretariat.
Similar protests were witnessed in Tripura where the government has suspended Internet service for 48 hours to prevent mischief mongers from spreading rumours.
According to the proposed legislation, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities, who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, till December 31, 2014 facing religious persecution there, will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.