Violence continues in Assam, rail blockade hits life

Assam's Karbi Anglong continued to burn over the statehood demand for the third consecutive day Friday while a rail blockade by several Bodo organizations demanding separate Bodoland state disrupted rail traffic across the state.

The indefinite curfew, imposed in the district headquarter Diphu and its adjoining areas, continued Friday. Four people where injured at Dongkamokam in Hamren subdivision when police opened fire to disperse a mob surrounding the police station.

Agitators burnt several houses and damaged property of politicians near Diphu. The damaged properties included the rubber plantation of Lok Sabha MP Birensing Ingty. Protesters also partially damaged a hospital, a forest office and an office of the state government's sericulture department.

"A group of people gheraoed the Dongkamokam police station under Hamren subdivision today (Friday), demanding release of a student leader, who was picked up by the police for his alleged involvement in arson yesterday (Thursday).

"Police had to resort to firing to disperse the crowd after they refused to vacate the area," said Deputy Inspector General of Police (Central Range) P. Saloi.

"The situation has improved today (Friday). However, there are some scattered incidents of violence in some areas. Agitated crowd also tried to remove railway tracks in some areas in the district. We are, however, going to continue with the curfew as situation might turn bad again," he added.

Meanwhile, the train services had been disrupted across the state in view of the 12-hour rail blockade called by several organizations demanding a separate Bodoland state on the lines of Telengana.

The rail blockade was called by All Bodo Student's Union (ABSU) the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Progressive), All Bodo Womens' Federation (ABWF), Bodo Sahitya Sabha (BSS), Bodo Peoples' Progressive Front (BPPF). Hundreds of people sat on the railway tracks at Kokrajhar since early morning.

A statement issued by the NF Railway here said that major trains like Rajdhani Express, Saraighat Express, Kamrup Express, Brahmaputra Mail have been regulated at several stations including Guwahati, Bongaigaon, Rangiya and Alipurduar while five local trains have been cancelled due to the blockade.

The Assam government had earlier said that five companies of additional central paramilitary forces had already arrived in the state and that an additional 15 companies have been sought to assist the state police in containing the situation across the state.