Assam violence: Japan PM postpones India trip

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today postponed his India trip amid ongoing violent protest in northeastern state of Assam over the much-talked-about Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

An annual summit between Abe and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to be held in Guwahati, the biggest city of Assam, on Sunday.

“Both sides have decided to defer the visit to a mutually convenient date in the near future,” Indian External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in response to media queries on the annual summit between the two prime ministers.

The postponement of Abe’s visit came a day after Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan cancelled their visits to India in the midst of the agitations in the northeast.

Guwahati, the planned venue for the three-day summit between Modi and Abe from December 15, has witnessed violent street protests and curfew for the last two days over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

On Wednesday, protesters pulled down hoardings erected in central Guwahati to welcome Abe and damaged a dais set up for the summit.

While Abdul Momen, who was scheduled to attend the sixth Indian Ocean Dialogue, a flagship event of the Indian External Affairs Ministry cancelled his visit citing domestic preoccupations, Khan also cancelled his trip to Shillong amid violent protests there over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.