Over 8-hr bandh halts normal life in parts of Nagaland

Kohima: Vehicles kept off road and very few people ventured outside during the eight-and-half-an-hour bandh called on Saturday by Angami Youth Organisation (AYO) in Kohima Municipality under Kohima district and Chumukedima and Mediziphema Town Councils, both under Dimapur district, on Saturday.
Business establishments and government offices also remained shut through the day but normalcy returned right after the end of bandh period at 3:30PM, official reports said.
The AYO had deployed volunteers in all the strategic locations and points restricting the movement of vehicles and even pedestrians while the Kohima and Dimapur district administration had also positioned police and personnel of Indian Reserve Battalion to thwart any incident, the reports said.
AYO had enforced the bandh to uphold its parental body APO’s boycott call not to hold elections to urban local bodies with 33 per cent women reservation and thereby preventing candidates from filing nominations in Kohima, Medziphema and Chumukedima.
Saturday being the last day of filing nomination, AYO issued bandh call on Friday night, calculating that some political parties, specially the ruling NPF and other contestants might use police protection to enter into the Returning Officer’s office to file nominations.
However, no parties and candidates came forward to file nominations while the three areas wore a deserted look with vehicles remaining off road and also the pedestrians staying in doors.
Meanwhile, with the state government announcing extension of another day, i.e. January 9, for filing of nominations, the AYO termed it as ‘diabolic decision of the government’.
Angami Youth Organisation President Neinguvoto Krose called upon all Angami villages and population excepting the elderly and juveniles for preparation to assist AYO for a full-scale public movement against the government’s decision to extend date to file nomination for willing candidates upto Monday. (PTI)