Guwahati: Life was disrupted in the lower Assam districts on Wednesday by a 36-hour Assam strike called by the All Koch Rajbongshi Students' Union (AKRSU) in support of its demand for a separate Kamtapur state and Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Koch Rajbongshi community.

The bandh began at 5am.

The business community was hit hard by the strike as it had to keep the shutters down for the day. Attendance in government offices was thin and there was hardly any vehicle on the roads.

This is the second strike within two months by the AKRSU in support of its demand.

The cabinet sub-committee constituted by the Assam government to look into the ST status demand on Monday had failed to persuade the union to call off the strike.

The bandh supporters had burnt tyres and blocked roads to enforce the strike. However, there was not much impact of the strike in the Upper Assam districts.

Commerce and industry minister Chandra Mohan Patowary had told the Assembly in March this year that Assam had incurred a loss of over Rs 1,028 crore because of 17 statewide strikes in 2017.

The Assam government had drafted the Assam Prohibition and Prevention of Bandh Bill, 2017, which is yet to be passed by the Assembly.

The AKRSU on Tuesday observed day of betrayal by hoisting black flags in different districts against the Centre for not fulfilling its demands.

"Police detained around 150 protesters during the strike in Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Baksa, Nalbari and Udalguri districts. The strike was total across the state. Even now if the government does not take any concrete step we will launch a 100-hour chakka bandh (wheel jam) on September 10," AKRSU general secretary Gokul Barma said.