Bandh to protest killings brings Assam to a standstill

Guwahati, Aug 14 (UNI) Assam came to a standstill today with separate 12-hour bandhs being called in the Brahmaputra and Barak valleys against killings in the Karbi Anglong district.

Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal led a high-level team to the state amidst the bandh and also visited the villages in Karbi Anglong where 14 people were killed on August 10.

While the union minister and Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi assured adequate security in the state, the bandh call yielded a total impact as the common people asserted their opposition towards the militancy and soft policies of the government.

All the Opposition parties, except the main Opposition parties of Asom Gana Parishad(AGP) and the BJP, had called for the 12-hour bandh. It was supported by various other organisations, including students, youth bodies and trade unions.

The 12-party conglomerate representing the Opposition included AGP(Progressive), Asom United Democratic Front(AUDF) and the Left Front parties.

The Barak valley also came to a halt in response to the 12-hour bandh called by Barak Valley Hindi-speaking Coordination Committee.

No violence had yet been reported, official sources said. Business establishments and banking institutions, educational institutions and private offices remained closed. Presence in government offices was also sparse.

Vehicles remained off the road. Train and flight services were also disrupted.

''The successful bandh only signifies how much the people hate militancy and their opposition to soft handling by the state government,'' former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta said.

Security had already been tightened across the state in view of the boycott call against the Independence Day celebrations tomorrow by militant outfits, including the ULFA.

Additional 15 companies of paramilitary forces had been rushed to Karbi Anglong district and new strategy chalked out to fight the insurgents in a meeting of the Unified Command in Guwahati yesterday.

No fresh incidents of violence were reported since yesterday, as the toll of Hindi-speaking people killed since August eight by Karbi and ULFA militants stood at 29.

Two militants were gunned down by security forces yesterday in Karbi Anglong.

UNI