Japan PM Shinzo Abe likely to cancel India visit amid anti-Citizenship Act protests: Report

New Delhi: Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may cancel his visit to India due to violent protest against the Citizenship Act in the northeast, a local Japanese media report stated. A part of the advance Japanese delegation which was to arrive in India today has cancelled the tickets. 

Assam has particularly witnessed massive outrage against the Citizenship Act. The state capital Guwahati is the venue for their summit. Ahead of the Indo-Japenese summit, walls across the city were painted in yellow. However, agitators protesting against the Act, have destroyed the walls and sprayed 'No CAB' and 'AJSU' slogans over them. 

Guwahati has become an epicentre of the anti-CAB protests, prompting the Assam government to place the city under an indefinite curfew.

To control the deteriorating law and order situation over the Citizenship Act, eight columns of the Indian Army was on Thursday deployed to Assam, as CRPF-BSF personnel Tripura as per the requests made by the governments of the two states.

The region is witnessing widespread protests over the Bill, which allows six immigrant communities, barring Muslim, from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh for Indian citizens.

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Protesters have expressed concerns that refugees allowed by the Bill could endanger the identity and livelihood of indigenous people.

Amid the protests, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen also cancelled his visit to India. However, the Ministry of External Affairs said that linking the cancellation of the visit to Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is "unwarranted".

The Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 was passed by the Parliament earlier this week and it became an Act on Thursday following President Ram Nath Kovind's nod. 

(With inputs from Pooja Mehta)