Overview

• District Magistrate Dibakar Nath invoked Section 163 of the BNSS to ban gatherings of five or more people and ordered all shops in Dhubri town to close until further notice.
• Assam Police and CRPF personnel have been deployed across the town to enforce prohibitory orders and maintain public order.
• Sixteen people were arrested across Assam for alleged illegal cattle slaughter, and Ramjan Ali Sheikh was specifically detained over suspected cow meat found near the Hanuman temple.
• Protests included roadblocks, tyre burning and attacks on vegetable vendors and e-rickshaw drivers, prompting police to fire tear gas to disperse crowds.
• Dhubri’s mixed Hindu-Muslim population and 2021 cow-protection laws have historically fuelled communal tensions, complicating efforts to restore normalcy.