[ Bengia Ajum ]
ITANAGAR, 9 Sep: A road blockade imposed by the Silapthar Truck Drivers Association (STDA) against Arunachal vehicles travelling through Silapathar in Dhemaji district of Assam has caused serious harassment to the people using this route.
On Monday, several vehicles, including private and APST buses, were stopped near Silapathar by the members of the STDA, who imposed the blockade to protest the recent murder of one Sanjay Nath in Daporijo (U/Subansiri).
Videos of vehicles being stopped and Arunachali people being harassed have gone viral on social media. In one of the videos, the protesters are seen asking Arunachali people to return while non-Arunachalis were allowed to carry on the journey. The blockade has affected the people of eastern Arunachal who use this route.
“The act of a few organisations in Assam, restraining the movement of Arunachal vehicles, is uncalled for and unwarranted when the perpetrators of the Daporijo incident have already been nabbed by the police. This unmindful act will foster enmity and trust deficit between the people of the two neighbouring states. Criminals are criminals and don’t belong to any community, whether it be in Assam or Arunachal. Trying to generalise and give communal overtones to such isolated incidents should be nipped in the bud,” said former AAPSU general secretary Tobom Dai, a native of East Siang district.
He urged the governments of Assam and Arunachal to immediately look into the matter and stop unnecessary harassment of innocent commuters of Arunachal.
Meanwhile, the STDA has warned that if their demands are not fulfilled, drivers’ associations from other districts of Assam will also join the protest. “We have submitted a memorandum and are yet to get a response from the authorities. We are tired of feeling unsafe while working in Arunachal. Our drivers who go to Arunachal always feel unsafe, and this latest killing of Sanjay Nath has further made us more unsafe,” said a protester.
The association has urged the chief ministers of Assam and Arunachal to sit down and work out a plan for the safety of the drivers working in Arunachal. “Both the CMs should sit together and discuss our safety. We want a safety guarantee for Assamese drivers working in Arunachal,” the protestor added.
This daily tried to contact the Dhemaji SP to ask about his stand on the prevailing situation, but he neither answered calls nor responded to messages sent on WhatsApp.
Sanjay Nath was murdered in August. The Daporijo police arrested nine persons in this regard and lodged an abduction and murder case [u/s 140(3)/3(5) BNS]against them. All the accused are now in jail.