The 12-hour dawn to dusk bandh and a blockade, both called over different reasons by separate organisations, on Monday crippled the normal life in most parts of the State.
The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and four of its sister organisations — Asom Yuva Parishad, Asom Mahila Parishad, Asom Krishak Parishad and Shram Parishad called the 12-hour bandh protesting against the failure of the Congress-led Government in Assam in checking price rise of essential commodities, atrocities on women and maintenance of law and order across the State.
While, Anaboro Suraksha Samiti — joint forum of several non-Bodo organisations, held blockades at Amingaon and Jalukbari area in two locations in Guwahati demanding exclusion of non-Bodo villages from the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) that runs administration in Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts (BTAD) of Assam.
long routes buses and trucks remained off the road in most of the districts in Assam on Monday during the bandh hours and business establishments remained closed. Schools, educational institutes and Government offices were, however, remained open with thin attendance.
Police said that there were incidents of stone pelting in vehicles plying on the roads in some areas of the State during the bandh and over 100 of the picketers belonging to the AGP and its sister organisations were detained by the police in Guwahati, Jorhat, Dhubri, Morigaon and other places.
In Guwahati, the police had to fire in the air and resort to lathi charge to disperse protesters of the Anaboro Suraksha Samiti, who protested demanding exclusion of non-Bodo villages from the BTC.
Thousands of supporters of the forum blocked NH-31 at Amigaon and then shifted to Jalukbari paralysing traffic movement. As the police asked to them to lift the blockade, the forum supporters refused to give in and began throwing stones. This forced the police to resort to lathicharge in which several persons were injured.