Normal life was badly affected on Monday with sporadic violence and disruption of train services across five districts of Assam and partially in another as the 64-day continuous strike called by two different outfits began on Monday demanding a separate state on the lines of Telengana.
Life was hit in the Karbi Anglong district, where a demand has risen for a separate Karbi Anglong state, with sporadic incidents of arson being reported as curfew was relaxed for six hours from 8:00 AM, official sources said. Four persons were arrested by security forces after an attempt was made to torch the forest range office at Manja, the sources said.
An all-party delegation, including Congress MLAs and MPs left for New Delhi during the day to ask Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to grant a separate Karbi Anglong state. A 48-hour bandh called by All Bodo Students Union and a 1500-hour one, the longest so far, by the United Democratic Peoples Front to demand a separate state of Bodoland, began during the day in five lower Assam districts -- Chirang, Bongaingaon, Baksa, Kokrajhar and Sonitpur, besides part of Lakhimpur in upper Assam.
ABSU had initially called a 60-hour bandh, but reduced its duration in view of Eid-ul-Fitr. Train and road traffic were paralysed in the lower Assam districts as bandh supporters squatted on railway tracks at Bijni and at several places on NH 31, the sources said. North East Frontier Railway cancelled 11 trains, while most of the long distance trains, including Rajdhani Express, Saraighat Express, Kamrup Express and Brahmaputra Mail were running behind schedule, a NF Railway spokesman said.
Incidents of damage to vehicles, burning of tyres and throwing of stones were reported from Bongaigaon, Chirang, and Sonitpur districts. The national highway was deserted as life was hit in Dhekiajuli, Thelamara, Rangapara, Balipara, Chariduar, Biswanath Chariali and Gohpur in Sonitpur district. However, the bandh failed to make any impact in the headquarters town of Tezpur.
A motorcycle was torched at Kalakuchi under Misamari police station and another in Bhalukpung area along the Assam-Arunachal border under Charduwar police station in the district, officials said. Some vehicles, including buses and trucks, were also damaged in Balipara-Khelmati area, they said.
ABSU sources claimed that two of its members in Misamari were seriously injured when a group of people attacked them when they were asking the businessmen to close the market. ABSU president Promod Boro told reporters at Rawta "Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde are responsible for their wrong decision to create a new state (of Telangana) in an isolated manner."
"We are deprived of our fundamental rights, our right to equality, political rights and language and cultural rights to preserve and protect our identity," he said. He said that a council could not preserve the identity, hopes and aspirations of the Bodos. Appealing against violence, the ABSU leader said that movement of army vehicles, ambulances and essential services should not be hindered.
Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity president and RTI activist Akhil Gogoi told the rally "I am not here to divide, but the Bodo people and other communities need their rights to be fulfilled."
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