Normal life has been disrupted in Assam and other Northeastern states as the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO), an umbrella organisation of students in the restive region have called for a bandh backed by various local bodies and regional political parties to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. The 11-hour bandh began at 5 AM and will continue till 4 PM today.
Shops are closed in Guwahati and public transport services have come to a grinding halt as a result of the Assam bandh today. Markets wore a deserted look while schools, colleges and other institutions are also shut. The Gauhati University and Dibrugarh University have postponed all examinations scheduled for Tuesday.
There are reports that foreign and local tourists are stranded in the famous tourist attraction of Assam, Kaziranga National Park due to the bandh. There was no public transport available to take them to Guwahati where they could board flights and trains to back home.
Meanwhile, in view of the bandh call, the administration has beefed up security in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura, though Nagaland has been exempted from the purview of the shut down in view of the ongoing Hornbill Festival there.
