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Kokrajhar, Jan. 30: Bodo youths in Kokrajhar today burned effigies of the leaders of Ana Boro Suraksha Samity who observed a 12-hour bandh today against the tripartite talks between the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), the Centre and government of Assam, scheduled for tomorrow.
The samity demanded that the areas where the Bodo population is less than 50 per cent should be excluded from the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC). The NDFB (Progressive) is already in Delhi to participate in the talks.
The bandh failed to evoke any response in the Bodoland Territorial Areas District (BTAD), with all educational institutions, business establishments, markets and offices remaining open. The bandh also had little impact on the movement of vehicles.
The Bodo youths in Kokrajhar protested against the samity’s “anti-Bodo and anti- indigenous” stand. With festoons and placards, they shouted slogans against the Ana Boro Suraksha Samity and set fire to the effigies of the samity president Brojen Mahanta and general secretary Jageswar Kalita at College Road near Kokrajhar Government College and Kokrajhar Indoor Stadium.
The youths said the samity leaders are framing rules and regulations of other organisations of the Bodo community, which are against the demands for a separate state of Bodoland.
“The samity or none have any rights to oppose the demands of the Bodos for their rights. They have no right to announce the bandh called in the BTAD areas against our demands,” the youths said.
“The samity has been following a political conspiracy policy to disturb the peace of different communities residing in the BTAD areas and create a misunderstanding and panic among the people in the Bodoland region,” they said.
“If the samity members do not want to live in the Bodoland area, they are free to leave, instead of indulging in such activities. We will not tolerate anybody opposing our demands for our rights and justice. We are demanding from the government what we are entitled to. Our demand is for our rights and not against anybody.,” the youths added.
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