Nude protest, black flags greet Modi

Guwahati, February 9

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second day in Assam saw nude protests, a bandh, raising of black flags and burning of effigies by agitators over the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

Six Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) activists were detained today when they stripped naked in front of Janata Bhawan — the state secretariat here.

The KMSS activists had arrived in cars and stripped naked before holding the protests. The Tai Ahom Yuba Parishad had called a 12-hour bandh in the state to protest the PM’s visit and its impact was felt in the upper Assam districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar, Lakhimpur and Jorhat with vehicles remaining off road and shops closed.

The bandh was supported by the KMSS along with 70 other organisations jointly protesting against the Bill.

The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) claimed that the police resorted to mild lathicharge to disperse its activists who had assembled with black flags and black balloons at the Amingaon-Hajo Road, about 10 km from Modi’s rally at Changsari. The protesters burnt effigies of the PM and released black balloons into the air in different districts across the state. — PTI