12-hour bandh paralyses normal life in Assam's Barak Valley

Normal life was paralysed in the Barak Valley today following a 12-hour bandh called separately by the Congress and SUCI to protest against Union Minister of State (Independent charge) Rajen Gohain's demand to withdraw Bengali as the official language of the Valley.
All shops and business establishments remained closed while vehicular traffic were off roads in the Valley's three districts - Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi, officials said here.
Train services in the Valley was also affected with most trains being stopped by the protestors.
There was, however, no report of any incident of violence from any part of the Valley and a strict vigil was being maintained by the security forces.

The district units of Congress have called the bandh, which began at 6 AM, to protest against the demand of Gohain to withdraw Bengali as the official language of Barak Valley.
The SUCI gave a separate bandh call on the same issue.
The Union minister had recently said in a press conference that Bengali should be scrapped as the official language in Barak Valley and Assamese should be the official language as it was in the Brahmaputra Valley of the state.