Sonowal shown black flags by agitators; anti-CAA protests on

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal faced black flags by agitators protesting against the amended Citizenship Act on Wednesday, the first day of the year.

Protests against the contentious law continued in several parts of the states.

Activists of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chhatra Parishad (AJYCP) waved black flags at him at a number of locations while the chief minister was travelling from Guwahati to the ashram of religious preacher Krishnaguru in Barpeta district.

The protesters also shouted anti-CAA and anti- government slogans while Sonowal's convoy was passing through Nalbari and Barpeta districts.

The activists of the AJYCP first showed him black flags at Kharjara near Nalbari town despite the presence of policemen who detained the protesters.

AASU workers then waved black flags at the chief minister near Solmara and shouted slogans against the CAA and the BJP government.

Officials said the police had to go for "mild lathi-charge" to whisk away the protesters at Solmara.

"It was a brutal attack by the police. AASU activist Sandan Bezbaruah is critically injured and is now undergoing treatment at a hospital in Nalbari," AASU Organising Secretary Himan Barman said.

The police also detained AJYCP leaders Hemen Kalita and Dhiraj Kalita from there.

Sonowal faced black flags for the third time at Sarukhetri in Barpeta by protesters who also played traditional musical instruments such as 'Bhortal' (cymbals) and 'Khol' (two-sided drum).

Earlier on December 30, during the foundation stone laying ceremony of a primary health centre at Cinnamara tea estate in Jorhat district, three AJYCP workers waved black flags while Union minister Rameswar Teli was delivering his speech in presence of Sonowal.

Protests against the contentious law continued at some other places of Assam on Wednesday, but the intensity was low because of the new year celebrations.

In Guwahati, office bearers of the unions of the Cotton University, Gauhati University, Tezpur University and the Dibrugarh University assembled at the gate of the Cotton University and protested against the amended Act.

AASU leaders and many prominent personalities lit lamps at its headquarters in memory of the five "martyrs" of this anti-CAA movement in the evening in Guwahati.

Protests have been continuing across all the districts in Brahmaputra valley of Assam since December 9.