Much to the relief of the people of the Itanagar capital region (ICR), the proposed capital bandh on 27 and 28 August by the All Nyishi Youth Association (ANYA) has been deferred. After the government met the majority of the ANYA’s demands, the association has announced to defer the bandh call. This is a wise move, considering the fact that there were reports of possible large-scale violence during the bandh period. DGP RP Upadhyaya himself made the startling claim on Monday that the police had intelligence reports of antisocial elements planning to indulge in arson and violence during the 36-hour bandh.
While he did not elaborate who the people behind such a move were, seeing the massive security build-up, there was fear that a situation like the one witnessed during the anti-PRC riots might again happen in the ICR. Therefore the decision of the ANYA to defer the bandh should be welcomed. In a democracy, people have the right to place demands before the government. The demands of the ANYA have been scrutinized and, as per its claim, the government has accepted most of its demands. After this also, if they had gone ahead with a bandh call, it would have sent out a very wrong signal to the rest of the state. Further, due to the lockdown imposed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the business community, especially the daily wage earners, have suffered a lot. The 36-hour bandh call could have made life more miserable for the business community of the ICR. Also, it’s time the pressure groups of the state stopped using bandh calls as a method to press their demands. It’s an outdated method and should be avoided. States like West Bengal and Assam have remained backward in comparison to other states because of the bandh culture. Arunachal should say no to the bandh culture.