The Hindu : National : North-East bandh hits normal life

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 06, 2004

National

National

North-East bandh hits normal life

By Sushanta Talukdar

GUWAHATI, OCT. 5. Normal life was thrown out of gear in the North-Eastern States today following a 12-hour bandh called by the North East Students' Organisation (NESO), the umbrella organisation of student bodies of the region.

The bandh was called to put pressure on the Centre for lifting of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from the region, the detection and deportation of illegal migrants, including the Chakma Hajong refugees of Arunachal Pradesh, and in protest against the militant violence in Assam and Nagaland.

In Assam, educational institutions, marketplaces, banks and other financial institutions remained closed while attendance in Government offices was very thin.

Pickets

Bandh supporters posted pickets in some parts of the Guwahati to obstruct movement of very few private vehicles. Stray incidents of pelting of stones on public buses in some parts of the city were also reported. While flights to the region were rescheduled due to the bandh, trains ran with escort.

The North East Express and the Rajdhani Express running between Guwahati and New Delhi had to be detained at the Rangiya railway junction in Kamrup district following picketing on the track by bandh supporters. The police, however, arrested the picketers.

The National Highways also wore a deserted look with long distances buses and trucks off the road during the bandh hours

The bandh also affected normal life in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram. Official sources in Tripura, however, said that the bandh call did not have much impact in the State.

NESO chairman Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharyya and its general secretary N.S.N. Lotha congratulated the people for observing the bandh.

They alleged that over the years the Centre has been neglecting the region and no step was taken to solve the burning problems such as infiltration of illegal migrants, unemployment, flood and erosion.

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