Nagaon, Oct. 17: Normal life came to a grinding halt on the first day of the 48-hour Dimaraji (Dimasa homeland) bandh called by the Dima Halam Daoga (DHD) in protest against the growing atrocities on its cadre by security personnel.

In a press release, the outfit said the bandh was against the pre-planned atrocities on its cadre to foil the movement for a separate homeland covering the entire North Cachar Hills and Dimasa-populated areas of Silchar and Karbi Anglong.

According to a source in North Cachar Hills police, security has been beefed up in the entire district because of the bandh.

Earlier, the indefinite general strike called by Karbi Longri North Cachar Liberation Front in Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills from September 22 was temporarily withdrawn from October 15 to Oct 23 for Durga Puja.

The Kuki National Assemble today urged all the undergound and overground groups not to call strikes as those affected schoolchildren.

?People living in interior areas suffered because of the indefinite bandh called by the Karbi Longri North Cachar Liberation Front. For the greater interest of the students, they should avoid such strikes,? said KNA general secretary Tongthau Thaudang in Manja.

Today?s bandh, however, failed to affect the Karbi-dominated areas of Karbi Anglong.