Eco blockade continues for 7th day, Gogoi appeals to withdraw

With the economic blockade against Arunachal Pradesh continuing for the seventh day today, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today called for an end to the agitation and demanded a CBI probe into the Behali incident that killed 11 supporters of the CPI(ML).
"I have written to the Government of India for a CBI inquiry as the case involves two states. At the same time, common people should not suffer and the blockade should end," Gogoi said here.
Saying violence in any form cannot be supported, Gogoi referred to the attack on an Arunachali youth in Assam yesterday.
The youth believed to be from Arunachal Pradesh was injured in an attack by miscreants after he forcibly entered trouble-torn Behali area to buy petrol.

He said the government has decided to set up border outposts across the inter-state border of Assam and has strengthened the presence of security personnel in Chauldhowa area.
The economic blockade was launched at Chariduar in Sonitpur district on January 30, a day after 11 supporters of the CPI(ML) were killed and 8 others were injured by miscreants from Arunachal Pradesh at Chauldhowa area under Behali Reserve Forest.

Meanwhile, Arunachal Agrashan Pratirodh Samiti, which is spearheading a movement to protect Assam's land from being encroached by people from Arunachal Pradesh, today held a joint press conference along with CPI(ML) and 12 other organisations on the economic blockade.

"No one from any government contacted us in the last seven days. The Arunachal Pradesh government has still not been able to arrest the culprit. Giving compensation is not enough but the criminals need to punished, and it is a failure of both the governments," an organiser said.
At Chariduar, about 30 km from Tezpur, hundreds of goods trucks have been stranded for the last five days.