From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: A dawn-to-dusk bandh called by eleven organisations paralysed life in populous Brahmaputra valley districts in Assam in protest against BJP-led NDA government’s decision to grant stay to minority (non-Muslim) immigrants from Bangladesh and Pakistan who entered India till December 21, 2014, to stay in the country without any valid documents.
The justification given for it is that these migrants were forced to leave their home in those countries because of persecution.
The bandh hit life across Assam especially in Brahmaputra Valley districts where all business establishments, education institutions and offices remained closed while commercial and public transport vehicles remained off the road.
The bandh was basically called by Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad and supported by ten other organisations including some tribal organisations who have maintained that Assam which as per Assam Accord signed in 1985 agreed to shoulder the burden of migrants who sneaked into the state from Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan) before March 25, 1971, would not made to take additional burden of such migrants.
The bandh has been reported to be near total in almost all parts of eastern, northern and western Assam.
All commercial and banking institutions and educational institutes remained closed.
However, there are no reports of disruption of train and flight movement.
Sporadic incidents have been reported from various parts as picketers tried to enforce the bandh and burnt tyres on roads.
Protestors also took to streets in main city Guwahati and damaged government-run buses. Picketers were arrested from different parts of the state.
The Central Government has decided, on humanitarian considerations, to exempt Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals belonging to minority communities who have entered into India on or before December 31, 2014, from the relevant provisions of rules and order made under the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and the Foreigners Act, 1946, in respect of their entry and stay in India without such documents or after the expiry of those documents, as the case may be.
The Central Government has accordingly issued two notifications in the Official Gazette on under the
Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and the Foreigners Act, 1946.
A senior police official said a number of protesters had been picked up from different places across the state. “No untoward incident has been reported so far. The protesters were arrested as they were trying to block the traffic at different places,” the official said. AJYCP has called the bandh to protest against the Centre’s decision to allow non-Muslim persons coming to India due to religious compulsions to have a visa-free stay.