The merciless killing of five innocent civilians of 5 Bengali speaking persons at Dhola under Tinsukia district of Assam on Thursday evening has shocked Barak valley residents living on the other side of the state.
Condemning this dastardly act of the perpetrators, the day began with Silchar District Congress Committee, first of all, called for a 12 hour Cachar district bandh on Saturday.
Addressing, the media after a brief meeting with the party members and the portfolio bearers of this district at Indira Bhavan, the district party headquarters in Silchar, President, of Silchar District Congress Committee, Pradip Dey, said, “The killing of this five innocent people in Dhola cannot be described in words. The state government for a long time now has not been able to contain the incitement comments that are doing the rounds on the back drop of Citizens (Amendment) Bill, 2016, and NRC. They have failed miserably in unifying forces rather allowed pro talks ULFA leaders like Mrinal Hazarika, Jiten Dutta, and MLAs like Shiladitya to pass comments that are not only harming the peace and tranquility of the state, but also, bringing in a divide among communities.”
Later in the afternoon on Friday, 103 organizations, led by Northeast Linguistic & Ethnic Coordination Committee (NELECC), All Assam Bengali Hindu Association (AABHA), Citizens Rights Protection Coordination Committee (CRPCC), Unconditional Citizenship Demand Forum (UCDF) and many more, under the banner of ‘Rastravadi Joutho Manch’, called for a 12 hour Assam bandh tomorrow, from dawn to dusk.
Speaking to Northeast Now, president of AABHA, Basudev Sharma, informed, “We are appealing to the government to arrest Mrinal Hazarika and Akhil Gogoi at the earliest and cases against them be registered under National Security Act.”
By evening, All Cachar, Karimganj Hailakandi Students Association (ACKHSA) too called for a 12 hour Barak valley bandh comprising its three districts. Talking to this correspondent, Chief Advisor of ACKHSA, Rupam Nandi Purkayastha, said, “We believe, the state of affairs in which Assam is passing through, army should be pressed into service to bring the situation under control. The state government should take strong steps against pro talks ULFA leaders like Mrinal Hazarika, Jiten Dutta and KMSS Chief Akhil Gogoi.”
If 12-hour bandh call by these leaders of Barak valley was not enough, BJP MLA from the ruling party and former Deputy Speaker, Dilip Kumar Paul, too didn’t shy away from blaming the government for this act. It is an attack on the Hindu Bengalis living in Assam. I would once again appeal to the Chief Minister of Assam to follow ‘Rajdharma’. I demand for Rs 25 lakh each given to the family members of these five people who have been killed mercilessly. I would also like to say our Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, to act and not just give statements.”
At the time of filing this report, various organizations have lined up for a candle light march in various parts of Silchar town to pay solidarity to the deceased, and likewise, pass on a strong message, that such act, once again in future, won’t be tolerated.