Mixed response to Assam bandh by Adivasi Mahasabha across State

Correspondents

Kokrajhar: The 12- hour Assam bandh call given by Adivasi Mahasabha demanding ST status to Adivasis of Assam passed off peacefully with mixed response in Kokrajhar district on Friday. Though the bandh did not impact much in Kokrajhar town, the long distant traveling vehicles were off the road. Government offices, markets, banks, shops, educational institutions functioned normally in Kokrajhar town. Meanwhile, police team resorted to fire some rounds in the air at Amguri under Kokrajhar police station to disperse the picketers. No untoward incident was reported in any part of the district.

BONGAIGAON: The 12 hour Assam bandh called by Adivasi Jatiya Mahasabha which has been supported by All Koch Rajbongshi Students’ Union affected the normal life of Bongaigaon. All the markets, shops remained closed. There were no movement of commercial vehicles during the bandh hours. No unwanted incident was reported during the bandh hours.

Dibrugarh: The 12-hour Assam bandh called by Adivasi Jatiya Mahasabha in protest against ongoing politics granting scheduled tribe status to the six ethnic communities was spontaneous and passed off peacefully on Friday. The bandh crippled the normal life as regular traffic except few private vehicles were plying on the road. The long-distance and sub-urban buses were off the road, causing great hardship to the public, particularly the office-goers. The educational institutions were closed barring few. The Central government and State government offices also bore the impact of the bandh. However, all business establishments and financial institutions were closed. Normal life in other parts of the district like Naharkatia, Chabua, Namrup and Duliajan were brought to a complete standstill. The General Secretary of the Adivasi Students’ Union, Naharkatia Committee, Jiten Orang said, “We have been seeking ST status for long. But when we come close to attaining the same, the BTC authority tries to deny us of our right. We’ve no other alternative except for calling for a bandh to caution the BTC authority that we want our right.” Slamming the ruling BJP government that they miserably failed to keep their promises regarding granting ST status to the Adivasis, the members accused the government of trying to create divisions among the Adivasi people. Impact of the bandh was felt the most in suburban areas like Naharkatia, Duliajan and Namrup. The streets were deserted. The oil exploration and other services of OIL suffered due to the strike. However, no untoward incident has been reported so far from any part of the district.

DEMOW: The 12 hour Assam bandh which was called by Adivasi Jatiya Mahasabha on Friday in protest against their ST Status evoked a mixed response in Demow. On Friday morning a few shops were opened. Attendance was thin in schools and government offices. There were few vehicles plying on the road. The passengers had to face serious problems due to the bandh in Demow on Friday.

Also read: Cost of an Assam bandh is Rs 6,050 lakh per day