GUWAHATI: Amidst the escalating tensions in the state over the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Office of the Commissioner of Police issued a stern legal notice on Tuesday.
The legal notice issued by the Commissioner of Police highlights that if any damage occurs to public or private property, including railway and national highway assets, or if any citizen is injured during the hartal, legal action will be taken under the appropriate provisions of law.
This includes invoking the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.
Additionally, the notice specifies that the total cost of damages will be recovered from the responsible organisation.
According to reports, the United Opposition Forum has called for a “Sarbatmak Hartal” on March 12, from 6 am to 6 pm.
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This hartal is expected to involve road blockades, the forced closure of shops and businesses, including railways and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) infrastructure, thereby posing a threat to essential services.
In response to the potential protests against the implementation of the CAA, Assam DGP GP Singh issued stringent regulations on Monday via the microblogging website.
Moreover, on Monday, the government tightened security arrangements in Guwahati and other vulnerable places across the state as protests erupted following the Centre’s rollout of the CAA rules to implement the new law.
The deployment of commandos to patrol the streets in the city brought back memories of past violence, highlighting the gravity of the situation.
All police stations have been put on alert, additional forces deployed, and intensified patrolling in sensitive areas as opposition parties announced plans for protests against the notification of the rules.
Shortly after the Ministry of Home Affairs notified the rules, members of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), alongside 30 other ethnic organisations, staged a protest, announcing plans to burn copies of the CAA, organise torchlight processions, and launch a satyagraha against the notification of the rules.
