A 12-hour bandh called by three youth organisations on Tuesday brought the Itanagar capital complex (ICC) to a standstill despite the administration declaring the strike illegal a day earlier.
Though the 5am–5pm bandh passed off peacefully, the streets remained deserted with commercial establishments, offices and markets shut while vehicles stayed off the roads across Arunachal Pradesh’s capital region.
The organisations had called the bandh demanding the removal of illegal mosques, madrasas and Bangladeshi immigrants from the capital area and a ban on weekly markets. The capital complex includes Itanagar, Naharlagun and Banderdewa.
Before the bandh began, Arunachal Pradesh Indigenous Youth Organisation (APIYO) president Taro Sonam Liyak, in a video message, claimed that the bandh was not against any religion but against “illegal Bangladeshis, Rohingyas and unauthorised construction of mosques in the capital area.”
Security was tightened across key locations to prevent any law and order problems. Police detained 27 persons during the bandh — some from Papum Pare district, under which the capital falls, and others from four districts of Arunachal Pradesh and three from Assam.
District magistrate Toko Babu had on Monday declared the bandh “illegal and unlawful” under Section 163 of the BNSS and the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2014.
Home minister Mama Natung said he was open to talks with the groups, noting that “bandhs are not a solution when elections are around the corner.” The state is scheduled to hold panchayat and municipal polls on December 15.
The bandh, initially planned for November 25, had been postponed.
Police clarified that no Bangladeshi or Rohingya immigrants had been detected in the capital area but said 8,936 Inner Line Permit (ILP) violators were identified.
Officials also confirmed there were no illegal mosques, though four private spaces previously used for prayer had been voluntarily shut.
A senior police officer said, “A secular state cannot single out any particular religion. Law is equal for everyone.”