Normal life hit by ULFA strike in Assam
Guwahati : A dawn-to-dusk general strike enforced by the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to protest alleged police atrocities on the wives of six militant leaders brought normal life in Assam to a standstill Wednesday.
A police spokesman said shops and businesses, educational and financial institutions remained closed, while public and private transport remained off the roads. The 12-hour strike began at 6 a.m.
"Normal life has been hit by the ULFA strike although there are no reports of any untoward incidents so far," a police official said.
Train services were also hit with the railways either cancelling or rescheduling some of its services.
The ULFA called the strike to protest against the arrest last week of five wives of ULFA leaders who were on an indefinite hunger. Police later shifted the fasting women to hospital on medical grounds.
The five women were demanding information from the government about their husbands whose whereabouts were not known since the 2003 military offensive by Bhutan against Indian rebels in the Himalayan kingdom.
Both the central and the state government say they have no information of the ULFA leaders and were not in their custody.
"We do not have any information so far," said Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.
The ULFA Tuesday also launched a grenade attack in Guwahati wounding nine people.
