ITANAGAR: Routine life in East Siang district was completely disrupted on Friday as a 12-hour bandh was imposed by the All Bogong Students' Union (ABSU).
The bandh was organized to protest against the failure of the union's numerous demands, among which was renaming two educational institutions after prominent individuals from the state.
All business institutions, schools, and banks were shut during the bandh, and public transport was totally off the roads. Government offices saw thin attendance as citizens followed the strike. But emergency services like healthcare and police were exempted from the restrictions of the bandh.
Despite the widespread disruption, the bandh was mostly peaceful. The lone reported incident was a confrontation between protesters and administrative officials in Berung. No violence or property damage cases were reported.
The ABSU had previously filed a memorandum in January with the East Siang Deputy Commissioner, calling for renaming the GNM School and the Government Polytechnic Institute in honor of Tagoli Jamoh and Kuttik Moyong, respectively. The union also called for the inclusion of representatives from the Bogong Banggo Kebang (BBK) into the District Land Allotment Committee and in the administration of three newly built urban development structures at Pasighat market.
In reply, the Deputy Commissioner, in a 5th February letter, instructed the union to go and meet the local MLA, as the district administration cannot decide on the issue. The reply, though, did not appease the ABSU, and hence, the bandh as a protest.
With the bandh highlighting the intensity of local grievances, it remains to be seen how the state government and concerned authorities will address the demands of the ABSU in the coming days.
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