1 dies as Assam bandh sparks street violence - Times of India

GUWAHATI: Violence marred the 12-hour bandh called by the All Assam Minority Students' Union (Aamsu) and 30 other minority organizations on Tuesday in protest against attacks on Muslims in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) areas. One person was killed in Barpeta. Police used canes to disperse supporters who pelted stones and attacked mediapersons. Aamsu and the minority bodies have formed a forum called the United Movement for People's Rights (UMPR) demanding President's Rule and the ouster of the Tarun Gogoi-led government in the state.

The bandh had little impact in Guwahati and other big towns but it affected life in Muslim pockets of the state including Gauripur, Mankachar and South Salmara areas in Dhubri. Bandh supporters came out in large numbers to protest in Goalpara and Barpeta in lower Assam. At Gauripur, police had to open fire on activists who burnt effigies of BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary.

There was tension in Barpeta where several houses were torched. Barpeta deputy commissioner Siddharth Singh told TOI that around 25 houses in Khoirabari were set on fire. One local was killed and 28 injured. "Police had to open fire to bring the situation under control. Police and Army personnel have been deployed," he said.

In Sonitpur, the Tezpur circle officer's car and one police vehicle were burnt. Curfew was imposed on Barpeta Road and in some parts of Tezpur. The police also opened fire at Jogighopa in Bongaigaon. Violent incidents were also reported from Morigaon and Nagaon and Sivsagar. Protesters burnt effigies of Mohilary, L K Advani and Bodo women's activist Anjali Daimary.

Scribes were attacked at Barpeta, Tezpur and Goalpara, leaving six injured. There were also instances of vehicles being torched and police resorting to lathicharge. Rejaul Karim Sarkar, general secretary of Aamsu, condemned the attacks and said, "Our activists were not involved. Gogoi has been a failure. People are dying everyday, yet he hasn't arrested anyone. It is a political conspiracy by the state government and those at the helm of BTC." Rumours of violence in Guwahati forced many people to shut their shops at Athgaon, Fancy Bazaar and Machkhowa. Air and train services were not affected.

Objectionable FB posts in Ajmal's name

The CID has registered a case against an "unknown person", who uploaded inflammatory and communal posts on Facebook in the name of All India United Democratic Front chief and MP Badruddin Ajmal. Additional DGP (CID) Mukesh Sahay said, "We have not registered any case against the MP or any other person but against an unknown person. Anyone can upload a page in anybody's name." He added, "We have written to the systems administrator to locate the IP address of the person who has hosted this page. After we get the IP address, we can proceed further. The Facebook account has already been blocked."