A 12-hour Assam bandh was called by a conglomeration of several Adivasi organisations and sit-in demonstrations across the State in protest against the recent killing in three districts of Assam that have left over 72 civilians killed and thousands homeless. The 12-hour bandh called by the Adivasi organisations on Friday drew a total response with the vehicular traffic remaining off the road and most of the commercial establishments and educations institutions remaining closed during the bandh hours.
Many other organisations including the farmers’ body Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) held sit-in-demonstrations across the State staging a protest as well as demanding security for the lives and property of the people. In Assam capital Guwahati, several bandh supporters came out to the streets to enforce the bandh and many of them pelted stones at buses, damaging two buses. The police later resorted to lathi-charge to contain the situation. There is however, no major injury during the incident.
Many of the bandh supporters also entered the commercial establishments in Guwahati and forced them to stop their works. In Biswanath area in Sonitpur district, violence-affected people took to the streets and shouted slogans against the NDFB faction as well as against the Assam Government for its failure to secure the lives of people.
In Dibrugarh district, bandh supporters set on fire a truck. Police later arrested many bandh supporters and released them later.