Ethnic bodies and Dispur head for a showdown over Assam Bandh

Ethnic bodies and Dispur head for a showdown over Assam Bandh
Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Dispur and 46 ethnic organizations are heading for a major showdown over the 12-hour Assam Bandh called on Tuesday with the government going all out to foil the Bandh and the organizations leaving no stone unturned to garner massive public support to make the strike successful.

The Bandh has been given by the 46 ethnic organizations in protest against the Centre’s move to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in the Parliament.

The government has already instructed all deputy commissioners and superintendent of police across the State to ensure that the bandh does not make any impact on the normal functioning of offices both public and private and all other institutions.

On Monday evening the government issued a communiqué saying that the government is making all attempts to thwart the bandh in view of a judgement of the Gauhati High Court.

Cabinet Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma briefed the media here on Monday on the proposed November 17, 2018 convention after the issue had been discussed in detail at the BJP’s office-bearers’ meeting at Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal’s residence earlier in the day. The meeting also discussed many other issues.

“Our assessment says that the November 17, 2018 convention is fraught with the risk of creating law-and-order problems in the State. The law-and-order problems created by such a rally at Silapathar in Dhemaji district in March 2017 are still fresh. The State Government is not going to give permission to such a convention in the heart of Guwahati on November 17 this year. We request those who’ve called the convention not to go ahead with it,” Sarma said, and added: “After the Silapathar incident, Dispur is assessing the would-be law-and-order situation in the State before any mass gathering. According to the government’s assessment, there’s no such law-and-order threat from the protest which the AGP is going to stage in Guwahati on October 23.”

The November 17, 2018 convention in Guwahati has been called in support of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 by the CRPFA (Citizens’ Rights Protection Forum, Assam) – a conglomerate of 26 Bengali organizations.

On the October 23, 2018 12-hour Assam bandh called by 46 organizations against the November 17 convention in Guwahati and JPC’s hearing on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 going to be held in New Delhi on October 23, Sarma said: “The bandh called on October 23, 2018 is illegal. The Gauhati High Court has termed all bandhs as illegal. We’ve to follow the court’s orders. We appeal all business establishments to do their regular business on that day. We also appeal to all officials to report for their duty.”

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