Assam 36 hours shutdown turns violent

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News


Guwahati, Nov 26: Tribal activists allegedly killed a teenager and set ablaze a vehicle early on Monday as the 36-hour Assam shutdown called by the All Adivasi Students Association of Assam (AASAA) began.

According to sources, a 17-year-old boy identified as Santosh Prasad was killed after being called out from his home at around 4.00 a.m., in Kokrajhar town, 250 km from West of Guwahati.

Within half an hour, a private vehicle was set on fire at Amguri Bridge under Kokrajhar police station, the sources said.

Vehicular movement in Kokrajhar town was restricted.

According to reports, long distance buses and other vehicles were moving on National Highway 31-c with police escort. The movement of train traffic is normal.

The shutdown, which began at 5.00 a.m., had no impact in the state capital where Adivasi protestors and the public clashed on Saturday.

The All-Assam Tea Tribe Students Association (AATSA) has supported the shutdown call. They have called for observance of 'black day" in all tea gardens on Tuesday. Most of tribals working in tea gardens are migrants from Jharkhand.

Fierce violence broke out between tribals demanding Scheduled Tribes status and local residents during a protest march by the former towards the State Assembly.

Many shops were destroyed and over 100 vehicles were damaged in the ensuing violence.

Curfew has now been relaxed, which was earlier imposed in areas between Dispur and Bashistha.

The tribals blamed the police for the Saturday"s incident in Guwahati in which at least 12 people were killed.

Several leaders from Jharkhand on Sunday reviewed the situation in Assam, particularly tea gardens.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda urged the Assam Government to ensure the safety of tribals who had migrated to Assam.

BJP leader and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda, who also arrived here, said that the Tarun Gogoi Government has no moral right to continue and should quit. He also demanded a judicial probe into the Guwahati incident.

The Asom Gana Parishad and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have also demanded dissolution of the Congress-led coalition government and institution of a judicial probe.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) held the Assam Government responsible for Saturday"s violence.

ANI
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