Citizenship Bill: Parliamentary panel delays Assam visit over protests

In view of widespread protests in Assam over the amended citizenship law, the parliamentary panel on home affairs has postponed its field visit to the state.

The visit of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs was slated from Dec 18 to 21, but it has been postponed in view of curfew and law and order situation in parts of the state.

The panel chairman and the members were to visit Shillong in Meghalaya and Assam's Guwahati.

"The Standing Committee is concerned about the developments and has thus postponed the proposed visit from Dec 18 to 21, 2019," Committee Chairman Anand Sharma told PTI.

Because of the law and order situation in Assam, one cannot have the visit during the said period, he added.

Guwahati has been the epicentre of violent protests over the newly amended law, which provides for granting citizenship to non-Muslim persecuted minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed by Lok Sabha on Monday and Rajya Sabha cleared it on Wednesday. It became law after President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent on Thursday.