Shutdown against killings hits life in Assam

Guwahati, Dec 26:

A shutdown called by several groups Friday to denounce the killing of 70 tribals by Bodo militants crippled normal life across the state, officials and residents said.

Adivasis or tribals took to the streets in large numbers with bows and arrows against the Dec 23 killings blamed on the anti-talk faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB).

The protests were intense in Sonitpur district, which along with Kokrajhar accounted for most of the gruesome killings.

In Kokrajhar, roads were blocked with burning fires, affecting the movement of vehicular traffic.

Shops and educational institutions were shut in Guwahati, Assam’s main city, residents said.

The protests were also reported from Upper Assam districts, particularly in the tea belt areas of Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Sivsagar districts which are home tens of thousands of adivasis.

Friday’s shutdown was called by several groups including the All Adivasi Students Association of Assam (AASAA), All Tai Ahom Students Union (ATASU) and Assam Yuva Parishad (AYP).

Meanwhile, the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) staged a sit-in at Dighalipukhuri in Guwahati to condemn the killings and to demand security for innocents in the state. (IANS)