Violence in Assam's Silchar over Waqf (Amendment) Act

At a rally against the Waqf (Amendment) Act in the Berenga region of Silchar on Sunday, demonstrators and police clashed, escalating tensions in Assam's Cachar district. About 300 to 400 individuals rushed to the streets without permission, blocking highways and yelling anti-BJP slogans while protesters flung stones and police used batons to drive them away.

With black flags in hand, demonstrators called for the swift repeal of the newly passed Waqf Amendment Act. Between 300 to 400 individuals blocked the route in protest. Some of them threw stones at us when we attempted to clear the road. A senior police official told PTI, "We had to use mild lathi-charge to disperse the crowd."

Although a complaint has been filed, the police acknowledged that no arrests or detentions had been made as of yet, according to the news agency. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday that the state police received a "strong intelligence" tip that there might be "some disturbances" during minority community protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act. This came just one day after the rioting.