E-Paper
Bandh affects normal life in Assam
The 12-hour Assam bandh has been called by the All Adivasi Students' Association of Assam.
The 12-hour Assam bandh called by All Adivasi Students' Association of Assam on Monday disrupted normal life in the adivasi dominated districts and affected rail and road services, official sources said.
The bandh called to press for the adivasis' demand to get Scheduled Tribe status affected the districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Darrang, Bongaigaon, Goalpara, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, Golaghat, Tinsukia and Dibrugarh.
All schools, educational institutions, markets and business establishments were closed and vehicles remained off the roads.
Several vehicles were also stranded along the highway while inter-district movement of buses was affected in Lower Assam.
There were reports of over 1200 to 1500 bandh supporters blocking railway tracks at Srirampur linking Assam and North Bengal.
Reports of picketing were also received from Hashimara in North Bengal, railway sources said.
Movement of trains was slow due to picketing and also due to security piloting of trains following the recent bomb blast in the Rajdhani Express which killed five people, NF Railway Chief Public Relations Officer, T Rabha, said.
A truck and a press vehicle were damaged by bandh supporters at Darrang and Lakhimpur district. Six communities in Assam -- Adivasis or Tea tribe, Tai-Ahoms, Chutias, Motok, Moran and the Koch-Rajbongshis -- are demanding Scheduled Tribe status.