Guwahati, Sept. 12: Normal life was paralysed in Assam's Brahmaputra Valley today during the 12-hour statewide bandh called by 14 organisations in protest against the Centre's decision to grant entry and stay rights to Hindu migrants who have fled Bangladesh and Pakistan because of "religious persecution".
A few incidents of protesters burning tyres and pelting stones at vehicles to make the bandh total were reported from different parts of the state.
Police picked up 83 members and supporters of Assam Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad, one of the organisations which called the bandh, this morning from different parts of the state, including Guwahati.
AJYCP president Biraj Talukdar thanked the people of the state for supporting the bandh. He said instead of allowing Hindus who had entered India because of "religious persecution" since March 25, 1971 to December 31, 2014 to stay in the country, the Centre should have signed an agreement with Bangladesh for their protection.
The bandh was a success in the Bodoland Territorial Areas District (BTAD) with the influential All Bodo Students' Union supporting it. Kokrajhar town, headquarters of the Bodoland Territorial Council which governs the BTAD, wore a deserted look with vehicles remaining off the roads and business establishments like shops, markets and banks remaining closed.
In Guwahati, bandh supporters pelted stones at a government bus at Chandmari, smashing its windshield and at a commercial goods-carrying vehicle at Hatigaon.
Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) supporters continued their hunger strike against the Centre's decision for the second day in the district headquarters. One KMSS supporter was hospitalised in Chirang and two in Lakhimpur as their health deteriorated.
However, some organisations protested the bandh. At Bijni in Chirang district, the Bengali Yuva Chatra Federation organised a motorcycle rally and shouted slogans against KMSS adviser Akhil Gogoi who had said that Assam would not take the burden of any immigrant who has entered the state after March 25, 1971. The Federation hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the notification.
The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha also organised a rally at Hojai in central Assam's Nagaon district.
The bandh also did not evoke any response in the three Barak Valley districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi with several organisations opposing the strike.
The Hindu Nagarik Suraksha Samiti, an umbrella of 30 social organisations, condemned the dawn-to-dusk bandh. "We hail the Centre's decision to issue notifications to safeguard the religious minorities of Bangladesh who came to India on or before December 31, 2015. They must understand that Hindus can't be foreigners. Today's bandh called by various organisations is a part of regional chauvinism which has no place in any democratic society," said Santanu Naik, president of the samiti and the Northeast zonal secretary of the All India Adhivakta Parishad. Naik said there should be protests against illegal infiltrators from Bangladesh who took shelter in Assam for vested interests.
Additional reporting by our Silchar Correspondent
