Normal life was affected in lower Assam on Monday following a statewide bandh called by several organisations representing the Koch Rajbongshi community in protest against the Centre’s reported move to grant Union Territorial Council status to Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD).

The bandh was called despite Assam police’s request to call off the strike, saying that interlocutor of peace talks A.B. Mathur had clarified to Pallab Bhattacharyya, director-general of civil defence and in-charge of special branch, that no such move had been made by the Centre.

The All Assam Koch Rajbongshi Yuba Chatra Sanmilani called the bandh for 12 hours, the All Koch Rajbongshi Students’ Union (AKRSU) for 48 hours and the All Assam Koch Rajbongshi Sanmilani (AAKRS) for 36 hours, all from 5am. Several other organisations, like the BTAD Citizens Rights Forum, are supporting the strike.

While the bandh was total in Bongaigaon district in lower Assam, it evoked mixed response in the BTAD and no response in Upper Assam and Barak Valley in south Assam.

The bandh supporters burnt tyres on roads and tried to stop vehicle movement in Koch Rajbongshi-dominated districts like Bongaigaon, Dhubri, Barpeta and Goalpara. However, no untoward incident was reported.

In Bongaigaon, banks, markets, offices of private organisations and shops remained closed and passenger vehicles remained off the road. Goods trucks and other heavy vehicles did not ply on the national highways passing through the district. Most educational institutions, however, remained open.

The bandh had no impact in the Upper Assam districts, including Dibrugarh. Train communication was normal during the day.

The leaders of the organisations which called the bandh were not convinced by the Centre’s denial on giving UTC status to the BTAD.

AAKRS working president Pranab Narayan Dev said, “As the people in Assam are opposed to the idea of carving out a separate state out of Assam, the Centre was going to upgrade the BTAD into a Union Territorial Council. At present, there is no such term as UTC. The Centre was going to create it by giving all the powers and departments given to a Union Territory to the BTAD.”

AKRSU general secretary Gokul Barman said, “If the report was false, the Centre should have conducted an inquiry.” He said through the UTC, the Centre wants to give the privileges of a Union Territory to the BTAD.

“While the Centre has denied plans to give the BTAD UTC status, it has not stopped discussions on the demand for a separate Bodoland. It, however, did not care to sit with the 27 organisations which had submitted a 780-page memorandum in 2014, opposing the idea of Bodoland and stating the problems of non-Bodos living in the BTAD,” said Jamser Ali, president of BTAD Citizens Rights Forum.

Additional reporting by Avik Chakraborty in Dibrugarh