From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: Tension gripped many parts of Assam, including the troubled Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts (BTAD), following fresh incidents of violence on Tuesday in which at least one person was killed and six people were injured.
Indefinite curfew was enforced in parts of Sonitpur, Barpeta and Nagaon districts of Assam violence erupted across several districts during the 12-hour bandh called by All Assam Minority Students Union (AAMSU) and its allies today resulting in death of one person an injury to several others.
About 500 bandh enforcers were rounded up by the police for trying to create trouble.
Blaming BJP and AIUDF for making provocative statements, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi urged political parties and outfits to refrain from calling bandhs which were inflaming passions in violence-hit areas.
Police and paramilitary force personnel had to open fire in the air, burst tear gas shells and resort to baton charge in various bandh-hit areas to control mob frenzy.
Indefinite curfew was clamped in Barpeta Road and Howly in Barpeta district after armed miscreants had hacked to death one person and injured more than 20 others in Beltola area on Barpeta Road. Several houses were also torched by the miscreants, who also attacked and injured journalists on duty.
The Army was called out to stage flag march in Barpeta Road to control the situation.
As violence marred the Assam bandh called by minority bodies, leading to the death of one person and curfew in three places, the All Assam Minority Students Union (AAMSU) on Tuesday claimed that the violence was carried out by miscreants to tarnish the image of the democratically protesting groups.
AAMSU general secretary Ainuddin Ahmed said here that the organisations workers or supporters were not involved in any violent activities during the bandh, which ended at 1700 hours.
Curfew was also clamped at Tezpur town in Sonitpur district as a precautionary measure after bandh supporters attacked and damaged a newspaper carrying vehicle this morning and scuffles between bandh enforcers and general public were reported from various parts of the town and adjoining areas.
Violent protests by bandh supporters and scuffles with general public as well as security forces resulted in police firing in the air and baton-charging at several places in the state, from the western fringes to the eastern ends.
In neighbouring Nagoan, similar scuffles were reported in different parts of the district where bandh supporters burnt tyres and effigies on the streets.
Indefinite curfew has been clamped in Ambagan area of Nagaon, while a prohibitory order under Section 144 of the Cr PC was imposed across the district.
Violent protests were staged by bandh supporters in Jogighopa in Bongaigaon district.
Police had to fire in the air to disperse a mob that had come out on road in support of the bandh and also pelted stones at the security forces. Nearly 10 people were injured in the police firing and were rushed to nearby hospitals.
Clashes between bandh supporters and general public were also reported from Sivasagar district, forcing police to resort to baton charge at two places in the district to control the situation.
The national highway 31 was blocked in Bilasipara in Dhubri district by bandh enforcers, while an inter-city train was blocked in the district for some time.
Media personnel and their vehicles also came under attacked at different places, including at Sivasagar, Bongaigaon, Goalpara, Tezpur, Nalbari and Barpeta Road.
Unidentified people lobbed grenades, torched several houses and engaged security forces in a shoot out at Pakritala village in Fakiragram and Choukhati village in Salakati on Monday night.
Mr Ahmed, condemning the violence, maintained that AAMSU activists were not involved and miscreants had carried out the violence in order to tarnish the name and image of the organisation.
Meanwhile, CM Tarun Gogoi who is facing severe criticism for failing to control effectively the violence in the state, on Tuesday admitted that the government has failed to bring the clashing communities – Bodos and Muslims -face-to-face for talks.
Gogoi on Tuesday, told media in Guwahati the government’s efforts to bring leaders of the clashing Bodo and Muslim communities to talk to each other have not yielded any result yet.
He appealed to all political parties and organisations to exercise restraint. He said calling for bandh by various organisations at this hour would only add temperature to the already surcharged atmosphere. (With inputs from Agencies)