Three persons including two linked to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were arrested for allegedly attacking the house of Union minister Rameswar Teli in Assam’s Duliajan in Dibrugarh district during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest last year in December.
Debajit Hazarika, Viki Sonar and Arup Kaha have been taken into custody. Hazarika is said to be a member of the BJP Yuva Morcha and Sonar a worker of the saffron party.
The three arrested persons were produced at a local court on February 3rd, 2020 and were sent to judicial custody.
The house of Union minister of state for food processing industries was attacked by anti-CAA protesters on the night of December 11th, 2019. Properties were damaged at the Union Minister’s house during the attack. Teli represents Dibrugarh in Lok Sabha. Accordingly, an FIR was lodged at the Duliajan Police Station under section 120B/ 147/ 148/ 149/ 153AA/ 336/ 353/ 188/ 326/ 307/ 427/436 of IPC, R/W sec. 25 (1-A) of Arms Act, R/W sec. 4 PDPP Act.
Earlier, four persons were arrested in relation to the matter. They have been identified as Chandan Kalita, Samarjit Baruah, Dipen Khanikar and Hengul Sonowal.
The CAA aims to grant citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who came to India on or before December 31st, 2014. Those protesting against the law say that the Act is discriminatory and creates a divide on the basis of religion.
Massive protests broke out in the country soon after the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill in both the houses of the parliament.
As many as 26 people have been killed so far in the ongoing protests against the amended citizenship law. The legislation has been criticised in India and abroad for allegedly violating the Constitution of India and its promise of equality under Article 14. It was also criticised by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
The protesters in Assam, led by All Assam Students’ Union, said that the Act violates the historic 1985 Assam Accord. Four people had died during the anti-CAA protest in Guwahati. While an oil tanker was set ablaze in Assam’s Sonitpur district by anti-CAA protesters, killing its driver on the spot.
Photo: @abdulrajjak
