Assam Bandh: Bengal Outfits Call for 24-hour Shutdown Over Tinsukia Killings, Services to be Hit

New Delhi: Several organisations have called for a 24-hour bandh in Assam on Saturday over the brutal killing of five residents in Tinsukia district.

The bandh, led by All Assam Bengali Students Federation, is likely to affect services as shops will remain shut between 5 am and 5 pm. "The students' body has sought the cooperation of the people to make the bandh a success. However, emergency services would not be halted during in bandh," a local media organisation quoted a federation member as saying.

The Bengali students had also called for a shutdown on Friday as well. Vehicles were off the roads and shops were closed. No untoward incident was reported, police said.

Meanwhile, in the neighbouring state of West Bengal, ruling Trinamool Congress had called for a state-wide protest to condemn the "killing of innocent people". The party said that its delegation will visit the families of the people who were killed in Assam by suspected militants.

"In the next couple of days, a delegation of Trinamool MPs/MLA will visit the families of those brutally killed in Tinsukia. Humbly, our party will stand by the grieving families and assist them at this difficult time," the party said in a statement.

TMC had also linked the deaths to the citizenship survey, questioning if the attack was an "outcome of NRC". Reacting to the charges, Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "Mamata Banerjee knows Assam closely. She should't be making such statements. NRC phobia needs to end."

He further said that TMC's delegation was welcome to the state. "Every time terror strikes, we cannot ask a CM to resign. Assam is not at the mercy of ULFA. We have enough forces and no one will be spared," Sarma told CNN-News18.

Unidentified gunmen in battle fatigue shot dead five individuals, including three members of a family, near Kheronibari village in Tinsukia district of Assam on Thursday night. Police suspect the gunmen belonged to the ULFA (Independent) faction as they were dressed in battle fatigue, but the outfit has denied its involvement in the attack.