Guwahati: A 24-hour bandh called against Monday night killing of a man and his son by militants belonging to ULFA (Independent) shut down Tinsukia district in eastern Assam on Wednesday.
Several organisations including Moran Students’ Union, All Assam Students’ Union, Motok Yuba Chatra Sanmilan, Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chartra Parishad (AJYCP) and Tai Ahom Students’ Union called for 24-hour Tinsukia district bandh protesting dastardly killing of Anteswar Mahanta and his son Karun Mahanta by ULFA-I militants at Simaluguri village at Bordumsa in the district of Monday night.
All business establishment, education institutions, financial institutions and offices remained closed in the district during the bandh reflecting people’s anger against the militant outfit for resorting to killing of unarmed villagers.
Meanwhile, Assam Police have claimed that the ULFA-I killed the two innocent persons for money even though outfit claimed that they had been killing for being agents of Army and police.
Additional Director General of Police (intelligence), Pallab Kumar Bhattacharrya claimed that a group of ULFA-I militants led by one Udoy Asom was behind the killing as the group had been operating in the remote inter-state border areas in eastern Assam for the purpose of extortion.
The police official said that Assam Police had proposed to set up India Reserve Battalion (IRB) with local youth to gear up counter-insurgency operation in remote areas located along inter-state boundary with Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
Meanwhile, Patriotic People’s Front Assam (PPFA) has condemned the United Liberation Front Asom (Independent) for killing common people and then terming them as spies to the security forces. The forum argued that it was an old trick of the militant outfit to murder someone first and then brand him/her as a secret agent to the government agency.
It may be noted that the ULFA (Independent), led by Abhijit Asom and Paresh Asom, owned up the responsibility for the killing of Anteswar Mahanta (46), a local in Tinsukia district of eastern Assam with his son Karun (25), a former student leader.
The forum, while urging the State chief minister (also in charge of home portfolio) Sarbananda Sonowal to take a serious note of the killings, appeals to the people to raise voices against all kinds of violence. It has also fervently requested the mainstream media not to glamorize the killings in the name of ‘revolutionary journalism’.
