India- Shutdown against killings hits life in Assam

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) A 12-hour dawn-to-dusk shutdown yesterday called to denounce the killing of a large number of tribals by Bodo militants affected normal life across Assam, officials said.

Adivasis or tribals took to the streets in large numbers with bows and arrows to protest the December 23 killings blamed on the anti-talks faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB).

Streets wore a deserted look during the shutdown and most commercial establishments and educational institutions remained closed.

There were reports of stray incidents of violence from different parts of the state as supporters of the shutdown blocked vehicular traffic at many places and damaged public property, forcing the police to resort to a cane charge in many places, including Guwahati.

Two city buses run by Assam State Transport Corporation were damaged by the shutdown supporters in the Bhangagarh and Christian Basti areas of Guwahati, police said.

Police resorted to a cane charge at the city's Fancy bazaar area, where people came out in huge numbers to enforce the shutdown.

No one was, however, injured during the shutdown, police said, adding that some of the shutdown supporters were arrested and later released after the shutdown ended.

The shutdown was called by several adivasi groups, including the All Adivasi Students' Association of Assam and All Tai Ahom Students' Union.

The Assam Yuva Parishad, the youth wing of the Asom Gana Parishad, All Assam Tea Tribes Student Association, Adivasi Chhatra Sangathan, Akhil Assam Bhojpuri Parishad, All Assam Minority Students' Union and some other groups supported the shutdown.

Several prominent citizens also staged a sit-in-demonstration at Dighalipukhuri area in Guwahati to protest against the killings and demand security for the people in the violence-hit Kokrajhar, Sonitpur and Chirang districts.

Some of the violence affected people in Sonitpur district, mostly adivasis, took to the streets in large numbers with bows and arrows to protest the killings.

In Kokrajhar, the violence-affected people and many other organisations blocked roads to protest against the killings. They also shouted slogans against the perpetrators of violence.

The protests were more intense in upper Assam districts, particularly in the tea belt areas of Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Sivsagar districts, where there is a sizable population belonging to the tea tribes and adivasi communities.

Some of the protestors also set a truck on fire in Dibrugarh, expressing their anger against the recent massacre.

Official sources said at least 60 adivasis were massacred by Bodo militants on Tuesday in Kokrajhar, Sonitpur and Chirang districts, while 10 Bodos were killed in retaliatory attacks.

Three people died on Wednesday when police opened fire at thousands of people who took to the streets in Dhekiajuli in Sonitpur district to protest the Bodo militant attack.