Japanese PM Shinzo Abe’s visit to Guwahati cancelled amid Citizenship Act protests
The Japanese prime minister was scheduled to visit the city for a summit with Narendra Modi from December 15 to December 17.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s scheduled visit to India next week was cancelled on Friday amid the ongoing protests against amendments to the Citizenship Act. Abe was scheduled to visit Guwahati for a summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi from December 15 to December 17.
“Both sides have decided to defer the visit to a mutually convenient date in the near future,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet. But the ministry did not specify any reason for the cancellation.
Guwahati city of Assam is the epicentre of protests against the controversial amendments, which were signed into law by President Ram Nath Kovind late on Thursday. Both Houses of Parliament had approved them earlier this week.
With reference to the proposed visit of Japanese PM @AbeShinzo to India, both sides have decided to defer the visit to a mutually convenient date in the near future.
— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) December 13, 2019
At least two protestors died in the city on Thursday and 21 suffered injuries. The state administration also imposed an indefinite curfew in Guwahati and Dibrugarh districts and parts of Sonitpur district. On Wednesday, visuals from Guwahati showed protestors burning billboards with pictures of Modi and Abe.
On Thursday, when asked about Abe’s scheduled visit, Kumar had said: “We don’t have any update to share.”
A Japanese team visited Guwahati on Wednesday to take stock of the preparations, PTI reported, quoting unidentified officials.