Protesters block National Highway 37 in Assam's Dhubri district on Sunday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati, July 21: The Biswajit Roy faction of the All Koch Rajbongshi Students Union (AKRSU) today decided to intensify its agitation after the government refused to accede to its demand for tripartite talks on a separate Kamtapur state.

Roy said AKRSU activists would stop the movement of private vehicles and passenger buses from tomorrow.

The 1,000-hour economic blockade called by the students’ union that began yesterday lost its non-violent hue late last night when three of its activists and two taxi drivers were injured following a scuffle at Bongaigaon railway station.

There were reports of other clashes, too, between blockade supporters and truck drivers but there was no official confirmation. An AKRSU leader said the government “will be held responsible if the situation turns volatile.”

An AKRSU delegation held discussions with the deputy commissioner, Kokrajhar, Jatin Gogoi, this morning.

“Till today, we were stopping only trucks, but from tomorrow no vehicles will be allowed to ply on the any of the national highways,” Roy told The Telegraph over phone after the talks.

Gogoi confirmed that the delegation had rejected the government’s appeal to withdraw the blockade.

“I had asked them to withdraw the blockade, but the delegation said it needs to discuss the proposal with its members.” Gogoi said, adding that those willing to ply on national highways would be provided escorts. Police also detained hundreds of AKRSU activists from various parts of the state as preventive measures.

The government also ordered deployment of more security personnel in Koch-Rajbongshi dominated areas. There were also fears over the involvement of NDFB cadres in enforcement of the blockade as the AKRSU and the militant outfit had recently reached an agreement to support each other.

Roy said the delegation had asked the government to give an assurance in writing that it would arrange for tripartite talks to discuss its statehood demand.

“In the past, we had suspended our agitations on verbal assurances from the government only to be ditched later. This time, however, we demanded a written assurance which the deputy commissioner failed to give us.”

Medical and other emergency services are, however, exempted from the blockade, Roy said. The students’ union could temporarily put off its agitation if Dispur invited it for a tripartite talks involving the Centre on its statehood demand, Roy added.

The delegation was led by AKRSU general secretary Pradip Roy.