Guwahati, December 26
Life was disrupted in Assam today following a 12-hour statewide bandh called in protest against the killing of three Bodo youths and alleged molestation of girls by Haryana police personnel. The bandh, called by the Bodoland People’s Progressive Front (BPPF) of Rabiram Narzary faction, evoked total response in the state, barring North Cachar Hill districts and the Barak valley, official sources said here.
Life was thrown out of gear in lower Assam districts of Kokrajhar, Dhubri, Baska, Chirang, Darrang, Udalguri, Barpeta and Nalbari.
All shops, educational institutions and business establishments remained closed and attendance in government offices was thin. Traffic remained off the road though some long-distance buses plied with police escort.
Three All-Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) activists were shot dead by Haryana police personnel, drawn for the Indian Reserve Battalion, and one securityman was also killed at the Salakati railway station amid protests of alleged molestation of girl students by the policemen inside the UP 4056 Brahmaputra Mail on December 23, leading to violent protests in Kokrajhar.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today ordered a judicial inquiry into the violent incidents at the Salakati Railway Station.
An official spokesman said here Mr Gogoi had requested Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court B. Sudarshan Reddy to appoint a judge for the purpose.
A decision to institute a judicial inquiry was taken following a visit by Health and Family Welfare Minister Bhumidhar Barman to the spot.
— PTI
