1000 Hour Band Continues to Disrupt Life Along Karbi Anglong; Jacas Convenor Arrrested

NEW DELHI: Normal life in the Karbi Anglong district of Assam continued to remain disrupted even on the fifth day owing to the 1000 hour Bandh called by the Joint Action Committee for Autonomous State (JACAS) with vehicles and public transportation remaining off road.

The train services between Diphu, Hamren, Howraghat, Nagaon, Bokajan and other areas were however unaffected. It is further learnt that a number of city bus services between Diphu and Manja, some 16 kilometres from Diphu, would resume from Friday.

On the one hand, the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) and district administration has been sternly stating that they would enforce hard measures to confront the bandh if JACAS does not call off the bandh. In fact, DC Karbi Anglong Prasanta Buragohain served a legal notice banning the ongoing bandh citing standing orders of the Supreme Court which warned that any bandh or hartal invited legal action.

However, on the other hand,JACAS has reiterated that it will continue with their district wide bandh till the Centre responds by offering to resume talks on the demand for a separate autonomous state, which was intimated by its chairman Khoesing Teron.

In a latest development, Bijoy Teron, the Chief Convener of JACAS was arrested by Diphu police on Wednesday midnight from his residence, after JACAS had defied the government’s order to call of the bandh as per the order of the Supreme Court which deemed bandhs and shutdowns as illegal and unconstitutional and inviting legal action against those violating the order.

Teron has been charged with illegally storing huge quantity of timber by the police.

Meanwhile, Teron while alleging that he was physically assaulted by the police also informed from the police lockup itself that JACAS had planned a meeting on Thursday with associated groups over whether to call off the bandh.

District administration and Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) has tightened the noose against the sympathisers of JACAS by issuing strict instructions to all government offices, SBI Diphu branch government schools, college and University, attendances in educational institutions to function normally.

Ruling Congress and its allies have planned to inspire the traders to open market tomorrow in entire district through mass movement of party activists.

Alongside, in a communique to JACAS, DC Karbi Anglong Prasanta Buragohain has requested it to call off the strike today and hold talks with Assam government at Dispur Friday.

However, Chairman JACAS Khorsing Teron alleged that the district administration was politicizing the issue. He said the DC was facilitating approach for discussion on one hand but on the other hand, arrested JACAS chief convenor.

“We are still considering the matter but probably we will not be able to accept his proposal” he added.

The 1,000 hour district-wide bandh which began on October 27 has been called by JACAS along the whole of Karbi Anglong district, one of the largest administrative districts of Assam.

The bandh which is scheduled to conclude on December 7 has been announced for the fulfillment of two major demands. First, resumption of talks with the Central Government on the issue of creating an autonomous state encompassing the two Sixth Schedule hill districts of Assam and second, the introduction of a Bill in the Parliament for creation of the autonomous state in the winter session within the ambit of Article 244(A) of the Indian Constitution.