Dimasa body protests handling of bandh

HAFLONG, May 23, 2010 – In protest against the inaction on the part of the district administration during the NC Hills Indigenous Students Forum-sponsored 60-hour Dima Hasao bandh, hundreds of members of the Dimasa Mothers’ Association gheraoed the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Friday.

They expressed concern over the way the bandh was handled by the civil and police administrations and demanded that the same mistake should not be repeated in future.

They submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, Dima Hasao district Dilip Borthakur stating that the picketeers made a mockery of Sec 144, banning gathering of more than five persons, carrying lethal weapons etc.

The memorandum maintained that the bandhs in Dima Hasao district have always been peaceful. “But in the past month we have seen three bandhs and none were peaceful. Perhaps in his report to the Government he must have said that the bandh passed off peacefully without any untoward incident occurring but was that a fact?”, the demonstrators asked.

In the first bandh call, the SP was hit a stone from a catapult and stones were pelted at the police which led to firing.

The message he has passed by his in action was that the public should look for their own security because the civil and police administration would only react when they were hit and attacked. As long as the bandh supporters go on destroying public and government properties, burning buses and boats, uprooting rail tracks, it was all fine.

The bandh supporter for three days held the town of Haflong to ransom. It must be stressed here when there was no resistance to the bandh from any side or any community why did the police turn a blind eye when the bandh supporters vandalized the town. Some steps should have been taken, they argued.

The DC assured the delegates of DMA he would not allow any kind of such activities in future.

Source: Assam Tribune