Bandh against violence paralyses life in Assam

Guwahati: A bandh called by All Bodoland Minority Students’ Union (ABMSU) and eight other non-Bodo organisations in protests against killing of at least eight innocent non-Bodo persons by Bodo militant group National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Sangbijit) since Friday night paralysed life in the violence-affected Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District Council(BTC) areas in Assam on Monday.
Life paralysed in eastern Assam areas because of a bandh called by INTUC-affiliated Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha in protest against killing of a tea tribe leader at Kaliabor in Nagaon district by unidentified assailants. The ABMSU criticized Tarun Gogoi led Assam government for failing to protect lives of non-Bodos especially Muslims living in the BTC areas, where the NDFB (S) militants are on the rampage.
State’s parliamentary secretary home, Atuwa Munda who is on a tour to violence-affected Kokrajhar district in the BTC said that the Army and Police had launched joint operation under the counter-insurgency unified command.
Inspector General of Police S N Singh informed that Assam government had sought for 15 additional companies of paramilitary forces to augment counter-insurgency operations in BTC areas.
The state police has released photos of several wanted leaders of the NDFB (S) including its chief Sangbijit and announced monetary award of Rs five lakh to Rs 10 lakh on authentic information on their locations.
Meanwhile, the NDFB(S) in a statement e-mailed to the media on Friday stated that its patience was tested by the India security forces which had resorted to killing of innocent Bodo youths in ‘fake encounters’.
The Bodo outfit NDFB(S) threatened more strikes if the “killing of Bodo youths in fake encounters” was not stopped.
The outfit said that the attacks were in retaliation to the excesses of the security forces. “The civil society, instead of condemning us, should put pressure on the government to stop the killing of Bodo youths,” the statement said.
On the other hand Kokrajhar police on Friday picked up 34 persons in connection with the killing of five bus passengers by armed militants in the district on the night of January 17 last.