Silchar:The 12-hour bandh called by the Congress and the Barak Democratic Front (BDF) to protest against the decrease of the Assembly seats in Barak Valley from 15 to 13 in the draft delimitation proposed by the Election Commission of India brought life to a standstill in many areas.
Business establishments remained closed in Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi while the highways witnessed a limited vehicular traffic. In Silchar, almost all shops and business establishments remained closed while educational institutions registered a very low attendance.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders and workers hit the streets in support of the bandh from 5 am onwards. In the morning, congressmen from Katigarh and Kaline blocked the national highway connecting Silchar-Guwahati disrupting traffic for sometime. They also staged a protest by closing the main entrance of the Silchar district collector's office.
Also, the bandh supporters protested against chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in front of the deputy commissioner's office. Around 300 leaders and activists of various parties and organisations were detained in the Cachar district. BDF leader Pradeep Duttaroy thanked people of Barak for making the bandh successful.
In Karimganj, district Congress leaders, including North Karimganj MLA Kamalaksha De Purkayastha and District Congress President Rajat Chakraborty, were arrested in front of the district commissioner's office while staging a protest. Purkayastha reportedly suffered injuries during the arrest.
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In Hailakandi district, Katlicherra MLA Sujamuddin Laskar and supporters raised anti government slogans and protested against delimitation. Lashkar claimed that the common people spontaneously supported the bandh as a result of which it has been a huge success. Police said that all modes of transport were available and daily activities were not affected in any manner.
