A twelve-hour shutdown has begun here to protest the killing of Hindi-speaking people in Assams Karbi Anglong District by banned militant groups.
Guwahati, Aug 14 : A twelve-hour shutdown has begun here to protest the killing of Hindi-speaking people in Assam's Karbi Anglong District by banned militant groups.
Twelve parties, including the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP-P), Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF), Communist Party of India (CPI) and the CPI (Marxist) are sponsoring the shutdown.
The apex business body of Assam, the Kamrup Chamber of Commerce (KCC), is also lending support to the shutdown.
Representatives of various political parties will meet the State Governor, Lt General (retd) Ajai Singh, to apprise them of their concerns regarding militant-related violence, and later would visit the district.
Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal will also undertake a visit of the trouble-torn district today.
Jaiswal will visit Howrah Ghat and Bakolia, and is scheduled to attend a meeting of senior district, civil and police officials.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, senior State Government officials, and Army and Central security agency commanders will also brief the Minister.
Since Saturday, 25 people have been killed by ULFA and Karbi Longri National Liberation Front (KLNLF) rebels.
The deceased reportedly hailed from Rajasthan and Bihar, and had been residing in Assam for years.
The ULFA and other rebel organisations have urged people in the region to boycott this year's Independence Day celebrations.
Since January, at least 70 Hindi-speaking workers have been killed in Assam, notably in areas like Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Dimow Districts.
Around 75,000 paramilitary forces have been deployed in the State to counter the rebels.
ANI