14 injured in attack during Barak Valley bandh

Silchar, Jan 9 (UNI) Altogether 14 people, including 11 Hindi-speaking ones, were injured in separate attacks by those opposing a 12-hour Barak Valley bandh today.

The bandh was called by Santras Virodhi Samyukta Manch, an umbrella organisation of 35 linguistic and other groups, including Purbottar Hindustani Sanmilan, to protest the killing of Hindi-speaking people in upper Asom districts by Ulfa militants.

The bandh from 5 am to 5 pm evoked mixed response in the three districts of Barak Valley. While the bandh was total in Silchar, the headquarters of Cachar district, life was unaffected in other two districts of Karimganj and Hailakandi.

However, Ainakhal, a tea community-dominated area in Hailakandi, witnessed incidents of clashes between pro and anti bandh supporters. Police said at least 11 people of Hindi-speaking community, all bandh supporters, were injured when a group of people attacked them in Ainakhal, 60 km from here.

Sources said bandh supporters, under the banner of Purbottar Hindustani Sanmilan, blocked National Highway 154 connecting Dholeswar (Hailakandi) with Bhairavi (Mizoram) at Ainakhal and ransacked at least two light vehicles. This triggered some people to attack the picketers, injuring at least 11 people.

Soon after the police and para military forces led by Hailakandi SP Ananda Mohan Tiwari rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. The injured were admitted to a local hospital and released after preliminary treatment.

Police said the NH was reopened after about an hour.

In Silchar three bandh supporters belonging to Bajrang Dal were seriously injured in an attack by shopkeepers when they were forcibly trying to shut down some shops. Two of the injured were admitted to Silchar Medical Collage Hospital. No one was so far arrested in both cases. Police said the situation was under control.

In Silchar all shops and business establishments, educational institutions, banks and government offices remained closed and traffic was off the road during the bandh.

UNI