NE militants call boycott, strike on Republic day

Imphal, Jan 19: Four main militant outfits of the north east today called a general strike and a boycott on Republic Day.

The Kamtapur Liberation Organisation(KLO), Manipur People's Liberation Front(MPLF), Tripura People's Democratic Front(TPDF) and United Liberation Front of Asom(ULFA) in a joint statement said, ''January 26 is just like imposing the Constitution on the peoples of North East region. Hence a boycott of the day has been called.'' The strike will begin from one am and end at 6 pm.

The four organisations said the Constitution "undermined the basic unity of the north east region by fragmenting it on ethnic lines".

The statement alleged that the government was resorting to military might to impose an 'Indian solution' to the conflict situation in the region.

It further said martial law like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA) was imposed for 50 years.

UNI