Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Dec 10: Total shutdown was witnessed across Arunachal during the 11-hour Northeast bandh imposed by the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO), supported by the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU), on Tuesday to protest against the discriminatory citizenship amendment bill (CAB).
The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday night after 12 hours of heated arguments.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah tabled the CAB even as protests erupted in the Northeast states. It was later passed by the lower house with 293 votes.
Government offices, educational institutes, business establishments and the public responded overwhelmingly to the bandh in Arunachal, ensuring its total success. There was no vehicular movement in the capital complex and in the district headquarters.
The 11-hour bandh passed off peacefully, barring a few incidents of tyre-burning reported from Itanagar and some parts of the district headquarters. The shutdown was effective in all the districts in both eastern and western Arunachal.
Lohit SP Dorjee Wangdi Thungon informed that the bandh in the district passed off peacefully. The same was the case in West Siang district, where all establishments were closed and vehicles were off the roads.
Lower Dibang Valley district also remained totally shut down, with all shops, offices and institutions remaining closed. There was no movement of vehicles too. The bandh passed off without incident.
The bandh also saw spontaneous participation of the people in the Siang region.
While business establishments remained shut, commercial vehicles were off the roads in response to the bandh call.
No untoward incident was reported from any part of the region.
Director General of Police, RP Upadhyaya, confirmed that no incident of violence occurred during the bandh hours in the state.
Meanwhile, the NESO expressed appreciation for the people of the Northeast for their overwhelming support to the bandh.
In a press statement, NESO secretary-general Sinam Prakash Singh said the government’s passing the bill in the Lok Sabha despite widespread protests in the Northeast “shows that the government of India has no regard for the indigenous people, and the move is aimed at reducing the indigenous people to a minority in their own land.”
The AAPSU also commended the people of Arunachal for cooperating with the bandh.
