CAA protests: 393 people arrested and 244 cases registered in Assam
Guwahati/IBNS: The Assam police has arrested 393 people for their alleged involvement in the recent violent incidents and provocative posts on social media where protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act turned violent in the state in the second week of this month.
Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said while addressing a press conference held at the Chief Minister’s conference hall at Janata Bhawan in Guwahati that, a total of 244 cases have been registered and 393 people have been arrested by the police so far.
Five people were killed and over 100 people were injured in the violent incidents that happened in Guwahati and other parts of the state during the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests.
The Assam Finance Minister said that Assam police have noticed 206 offensive and provocative posts on social media from Dec 9, 2019, and police registered 28 cases for such offensive and provocative posts.
“Police arrested 10 people in connection with their offensive posts on social media and out of them, five were released on bail and five sent to judicial custody,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
He further said that 21 people were brought to the police station along with their parents and after counselling they were released.
“Assam police have deleted 58 posts so far. 25 posts, which were originated from outside Assam, are yet to be traced but an investigation is going on. Among the 25 such posts, three originated from UAE,” Sarma said.
He further said that the case of the Guwahati violent incident was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
It is to be mentioned that, Assam police had arrested two top office bearers of the Islamist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI) of Assam unit in connection with violence in Guwahati.
Police had arrested PFI Assam unit president Aminul Hoque and Mohammad Muzammil Hoque, the press secretary of the PFI.
On the other hand, NIA had arrested Akhil Gogoi – Assam peasant leader and advisor of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) amid protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
On Dec 17, the special court of National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Guwhaati had sent Akhil Gogoi to 10-day NIA custody.
NIA has registered a case no 13/2019 under section 120 (B), 124 (A), 153 (A), 153 (B) of IPC and section 18, 39 of UAPA.
(By Hemanta Kumar Nath, Guwahati)
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