Guwahati, October 23: In the wake of a 12-hour statewide bandh in Assam on Tuesday, shops in Guwahati remained shut which disrupted normal lives in several areas of the state. The bandh has been called by over 46 organisations in Assam against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016. As part of the bandh, agitators tried to put up blockades on railway tracks and disrupted train services. The angry protesters also burnt tyres on roads in various places of the state. Police officials said that the demonstrators, who were trying to prevent train movement by squatting on tracks, were being evicted.

Heavy security arrangements were made across the state during the bandh on Tuesday. While the ruling BJP opposed the bandh, AGP and Congress extended their support to the protestors. The organisations that have called the bandh include Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) and other 44 organisations against the Centre's bid to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, in the Winter Session of Parliament. Assam NRC List: Out of 40 Lakh People Excluded From the Draft, Only Over One Lakh Have Filed Claims So Far.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was introduced in the Lok Sabha to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 to grant Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who fled religious persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan and entered India before December 31, 2014.

According to a PTI report, KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi said this was the first time that a bandh and they would not call it off as the very "existence of Assamese and their identity was at stake by the Bill".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 23, 2018 12:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).