ASSAM: Republic Day was observed as Black Day in Assam’s Dima Hasao following the death of two persons in police firing. They were protesting against a statement of an RSS leader.

Several organizations called for a 12-hour bandh on January 25 opposing the statement of RSS activist Jagdamba Mall who claimed that the draft plan for the Naga Accord includes the Dima Hasao district in Nagalim.

Police opened fire at the protestors when they tried to block railway tracks at the Maibang Railway station. The two critically injured protestors -- Mithun Dibrageda (27) and Prabanta Hakmaosa (17) – were rushed to the Gauhati Medical College Hospital.

However, Dibrageda died on the way and Hakmaosa succumbed to his injuries today,Friday. The district administration has clamped curfew to bring the situation under control.

“Karni Sena, Shiv Sena, Bajrang dal, RSS destroy public property all over India for stupid reasons like Bollywood movies, Pakistan cricket teams, Valentine's day, beef and others. But no bullets were fired at them. When the ctizens of Maibang town in Assam stop a train for a couple of hours to demand answers from the government and to remove Assam from Nagalim's framework which is creating communal tensions because of an irresponsible statement by an RSS member, police fire bullets and kill and injure innocent women, children and men. This is not my Republic Day,” said singer and activist Daniel Langthasa.

More than 10 other protestors and a similar number of policemen have sustained injuries in the incident.

Dimasa organizations of Dima Hasao - the Jadike Naiso Hosom, the Dimasa Students' Union and the Dimasa Mothers' Association, among others have reacted against the statement of the RSS leader.

“We vehemently oppose the idea (of including Dima Hasao in Nagalim) and had urged Mall to come to Haflong and seek an apology for his proposal to give away Dima Hasao to Nagalim. We also urged the government to clarify the issue. However, as they have failed to do so, we have been compelled to call the bandh,” a Jadike Naiso Hosom spokesperson told media.

They condemned the Dima Hasao district administration and police for violating human rights and mercilessly killing unarmed citizens.

In the evening the people came out with a silent procession to pay their respect to the two dead and seeking justice for the killings.

The framework agreement signed between the NSCN (I-M) and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi on August 3, 2015, to bring a permanent solution to insurgency and to finalize the Naga Accord is still under wraps.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has said that no Assam territory will be included in the Nagalim as proposed by the agreement.

Many in Guwahati claim that the police ‘atrocities’ in Assam under the leadership of Sonowal have reached new levels.

”When the British were suppressing protests once Quit India Movement was launched, in Assam between August 9 of 1942 to December 31 of 1943, there were four instances of police firing at protesters. After Sarbananda Sonowal led BJP government came to power in Assam on May 24 of 2016, there have been five instances of police firing at unarmed protesters,” said Bonojit Hussain, an independent researcher and activist.

Police has opened fire on citizens at Raha, Kaziranga, Goalpara and Dhula besides this Maibang incident. At least seven people have died in the police firing.

Though probes have been ordered not a single report has been made public till date.

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ABDUL GANI