The movement for demanding an autonomous State combining the Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao district of Assam has gained momentum once again after the organisations have called for a 1,000 hour bandh, starting on Monday, in the twin hill districts.
The bandh that started from 5 am on Monday has affected the twin districts, mainly the Karbi Anglong district, where most of the educational institutions remained closed and Government offices too recorded thin attendance. The streets also wore a deserted look while there was no vehicular traffic in the district, including the National Highway 39, that passes through the district to connect Nagaland and Manipur.
Although the bandh started on Monday, no untoward incident has been reported from anywhere in the district.
A conglomeration of several organisations — Joint Action Committee for Autonomous State (JACAS) — had been asking the Centre to declare the Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts an autonomous State under Article 244 (A) of the Indian Constitution.
The bandh will continue till December 7, they said. The movement started in November last year led to severe violence in the districts mainly in Karbi Anglong with the supporters of the statehood burning public properties and resorting to attack on properties belonging to the political leaders, who are in power in the autonomous district councils that run the administration in the district at present.
“We are forced to call the 1,000 hour bandh today. The Centre had been very apathetic towards our cause. We will meet Union Ministers soon after they assume office and they had assured us in writing to start the tripartite talks over the issue,” said Stalin Engty, a JACAS leader.
“In September this year we had started an indefinite hunger strike to press for our demands. However, we ended the strike as the Central Government had assured us again to restart the talks soon. However, we have not received any communication from neither the Centre nor the State Government. Hence, we have called for this 1,000-hour bandh,” he said.
He also pointed out that the BJP leadership, including the present Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, while addressing a public rally in Assam ahead of the lok Sabha polls had assured seriously considering grant of autonomous State status to the twin hill districts.
However, nothing was done so far in this regard, he said. “We now demand the Centre as well as the State Government to immediately start the tripartite talk for granting autonomous State status to Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao and that the Centre must present a bill in this regard during the forthcoming Winter Session of the Parliament,” he said.