10 horrific pictures show how northeast India is burning in protest of the new Citizenship Act

• The controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill became a law after President Ram Nath Kovind passed it on December 13.
• Violent protests in Assam against the bill left two protesters dead, and 11 with bullet wounds on the very same day.
  
• People in Assam are demanding unconditional withdrawal of the contentious bill as they fear it will allow thousands of Bangladeshis to move to India, swamping their language, culture and traditions.
  

The controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill became a law after President Ram Nath Kovind passed it on December 13. As per the Act, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 and facing religious persecution there --- will not be treated as illegal immigrants and granted Indian citizenship.

The bill sparked protests in India’s North East ever since the cabinet decided to introduce it as a bill in Lok Sabha. In 2016, a decision to table the bill was restrained after a massive backlash from Assam. However, union home minister Amit Shah tabled the bill in Lok Sabha on December 11, 2019.


Here’s why Assam is at the heart of the massive protest against Citizenship Amendment Bill: