Normal life hit as two more bandhs begin in Assam

Normal life was badly affected today with sporadic violence and disruption of train services across five districts of Assam and partially in another as the 64-day continuous strike called by two different outfits began today demanding a separate state on the lines of Telengana.
Life was hit in the Karbi Anglong district, where a demand has risen for a separate Karbi Anglong state, with sporadic incidents of arson being reported as curfew was relaxed for six hours from 8:00 AM, official sources said.
Four persons were arrested by security forces after an attempt was made to torch the forest range office at Manja, the sources said.

An all-party delegation, including Congress MLAs and MPs left for New Delhi during the day to ask Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to grant a separate Karbi Anglong state.
A 48-hour bandh called by All Bodo Students Union and a 1500-hour one, the longest so far, by the United Democratic Peoples Front to demand a separate state of Bodoland, began during the day in five lower Assam districts -- Chirang, Bongaingaon, Baksa, Kokrajhar and Sonitpur, besides part of Lakhimpur in upper Assam.
ABSU had initially called a 60-hour bandh, but reduced its duration in view of Eid-ul-Fitr.

Train and road traffic were paralysed in the lower Assam districts as bandh supporters squatted on railway tracks at Bijni and at several places on NH 31, the sources said.
North East Frontier Railway cancelled 11 trains, while most of the long distance trains, including Rajdhani Express, Saraighat Express, Kamrup Express and Brahmaputra Mail were running behind schedule, a NF Railway spokesman said.
Incidents of damage to vehicles, burning of tyres and throwing of stones were reported from Bongaigaon, Chirang, and Sonitpur districts.