Assam was paralysed due to 12-hour dawn-to-dusk shutdown called by the Bajrang Dal in protest against the recent violent incidents in the BTC areas. The bandh called by Bajrang Dal was supported by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) demanding arrest of AUDF chief and Lok Sabha member Badruddin Ajmal, whom they accused of instigating violence in the BTC as well as across the country in the aftermath of the clashes in western Assam.
The protestors burned tyres on roads besides setting the effigies of Ajmal on fire. Police arrested over 500 protestors from different parts of the state.
Business establishments and many educational institutions across the state remained closed because of the bandh, called from 5am till 5pm; attendance in government offices was also thin. The bandh disrupted normal life across Assam. Public transport remained off the roads and the streets wore a deserted look.
It must be recalled that The Gauhati High Court had earlier declared bandhs illegal in Assam and the Northeastern states, with instructions to states to ensure such bandhs do not curtail the basic rights of the common people.