Assam police to recover cost of properties from CAA protestors

 Guwahati, Feb. 19 (PTI): Assam Police will recover the cost of properties damaged during violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Additional Director General (Law and Order) G P Singh said on Wednesday.

The police have so far arrested around 450 persons in nearly 270 cases across the state for indulging in violent activities during the protests in the second week of December, 2019, he told PTI.

The arrested people are lodged at different places in the state and the damages to public and private properties will have to be assessed before recovering the cost, he added.

“We will go absolutely as per the law. We will fully implement the provisions of the law, whatever they be. The cost of the damaged properties will be recovered from the accused,” Singh said.

Declining to comment on the likely cost of the damages, he said “Some of those arrested people may not have been involved in the destruction of properties. They may have been involved in vandalism, arson, setting fire to some tyres or blocking of roads. We have to see at what level their involvements were”.

Assam had witnessed one of its most violent public protests which lasted for several days since December 9 during which three rail stations, a post office, bank, bus terminus, shops, dozens of vehicles and many other public and private properties were set ablaze or totally damaged.

After the Rajya Sabha passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill on December 11, agitators were engaged in pitched battles in almost every major city and town which had led to the imposition of curfew.

The curfew was lifted after the situation returned to normal.