The All Cachar Karimganj Hailakandi Students’ Association has called a 12-hour bandh in south Ass-am’s Barak Valley from 5am on Saturday to protest against the killing of five persons at Dhola in Tinsukia district.

Adviser to the association, Rupam Nandi Purkayastha, in a news conference here on Friday attributed the killings to carelessness of the government, alleging that it did not take any action against pro-talks Ulfa leaders like Mrinal Hazarika and Jiten Dutta though they had threatened to kill Bengalis over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

Purkayastha claimed that Hazarika and Dutta were behind the incident. He also demanded the arrest of KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi for allegedly issuing threats to Bengalis.

Niranjan Dutta, another adviser, blamed Dispur’s “oblivious attitude” for the killings and demanded the Centre’s intervention to ensure safety of Bengalis living in the state.

The founder-president of the association, Pradip Dutta Roy, said over phone that the incident was “the onset of a maelstrom” in the state.

The Rashtrabadi Joutha Mancha, a conglomerate of organisations, has called a 12-hour bandh in the state. Subhranshu Sekhar Bhattacharya, a member of the North East Linguistic and Ethnic Co-Ordination Committee, said the incident was a “black day” in the history of Assam and demanded stern steps against Hazarika and Dutta.

Protests were held on Friday at different places of the valley. The incident created a strong buzz on social media with people in massive number condemning the barbaric killings and demanding action against the perpetrators.

The state secretary of Amora Bangalee, Sadhan Purkayastha, said the incident, if not dealt with seriously, would result in a civil war in Assam.

Congress legislator from Karimganj North, Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, blamed the Sarbananda Sonowal-led BJP government for the incident. “What was the government doing when threats were being issued targeting Bengalis/Bengalis’ organisations?” he asked. He demanded strict action against those involved in the killings.

The Citizens Rights’ Preservation Committee has demanded Rs 20 lakh as compensation to each of the victim’s kin.