GUWAHATI: The statewide bandh called by various organisations on Saturday in protest against the killings of five Bengali-speaking people by unidentified armed gang of miscreants at Dhola in Tinsukia district of Assam had little impact in Brahmaputra Valley region barring a few pockets while there was no impact of the bandh in the capital city Guwahati.
However, the bandh was total in entire Barak Valley region including districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi.
Hundreds of bandh supporters were arrested by police all over the state for trying to enforce bandh which was marred by sporadic incidents of clashes in some parts of the state. Police arrested All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MP Radheshyam Biswas and Congress MLA, Kamalakhya Dey purkayasthya in Barak Valley when they joined picketers out to enforce the bandh.
There was no impact of bandh in eastern Assam districts including Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat where life continued normal way during the bandh hours.
Life went on quite normal in Guwahati city where city buses and other vehicles could be seen plying freely. Cab services like Ola, Uber etc., were too plying normally on the city roads.
Most of the business establishments like shops and markets remained open, Government offices, schools and other educational institutions are functioning as usual. Only a few shops in Lalganesh, Maligaon, Kahilipara, and Fancy Bazar areas of Guwahati remained closed.
Assam government on Friday had issued strict instructions to all the heads of district administrations, education institutions, business houses to defy the bandh call and continue with normal functioning.