Several train and flights were cancelled on Thursday due toongoing protests against the amended Citizenship Act in Assam, IANS reported.
Thousands of protestors in Assam took to the streets in defiance of a curfew imposed. At least two protestors died in the state’s capital Guwahati. The suspension of mobile internet services in 10 districts was extended for another 48 hours from noon, and around 300 demonstrators were detained earlier in the day.
RD Vajpayee, Director (Media) of Indian Railways said no long-distance train is going beyond Guwahati. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Northeast Frontier Railway informed that at least 30 trains were cancelled or short terminated.
Dibrugarh Delhi DBRT Rajdhani Express has been cancelled for Friday, and the New Delhi DBRT Rajdhani Express will be terminated at Guwahati and will remain cancelled between Guwahati and Dibrugarh. Avadh Assam Express, Brahmaputra mail, Kanchanjungha Express have also been cancelled for the next couple of days, according to The Telegraph.
The Chief Public Relations Officer of Northeast Frontier Railway Subhanan Chanda said: “In view of disruptions in train movement due to picketing in many places, many passenger trains have been cancelled and short terminated on December 11.” He added that protestors entered the stations and blocked the movements of the trains. “Due to blockade of the track, the movements of goods trains are also affected in the region,” Chanda said.
He said the safety and security of the passengers was a major concern for the railways.
IndiGo announced that all its flights to and from Dibrugarh, Guwahati and Jorhat in Assam have been cancelled till Friday. SpiceJet is offering refunds and waiver of cancellation or change fees for all flights on the Guwahati-Dibrugarh route until Friday. Other airlines such as Vistara and GoAir also announced the cancellation of flights to these two cities and waived their cancellation or rescheduling fees.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!