Sivasagar: Tai Ahom students call 12-hour bandh on Nov 6 over Jamuna canal

The All Tai Ahom Students' Association (ATASA) has called a 12-hour bandh across Sivasagar district on Friday, 6 November, to protest what it calls the encroachment of the historic Jamuna canal and the administration's failure to act on it, The Assam Tribune reported on Saturday.

The shutdown was announced after talks between the students' body and the district administration broke down.

Walkout over who chaired the meeting

According to the report, ATASA had given the authorities two days to act on its demand. The administration then invited the organisation for a discussion by letter. When its representatives arrived, they found that the meeting was being chaired by an Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) rather than the Deputy Commissioner (DC).

The association's leaders said an ADC did not have the authority to decide on a matter of this importance. A member of the body also objected that contractors were present at the meeting and asked what purpose such a discussion would serve without the DC. The representatives walked out and announced the bandh.

'An ancient water resource'

An ATASA member told the paper that the canal was an old water resource of Assam that was being "looted and encroached upon". The member said neither the government, the district authorities nor the local MLA had taken concrete steps despite repeated demands, which was why the organisation had decided to step up its protest.

The association says its single demand is that the canal be freed of encroachment and protected. It has not said which stretches of the canal are affected or who it holds responsible for the alleged encroachment.

What the bandh means

A 12-hour bandh in Assam usually runs from dawn to evening and affects shops, markets, transport and offices. The organisers have not yet said which services will be exempt. Emergency services such as hospitals, ambulances and medical shops are normally kept outside the purview of such shutdowns.

The Sivasagar district administration had not publicly responded to the bandh call or to the encroachment allegations by Saturday afternoon. Bandh calls are sometimes withdrawn or deferred if fresh talks are held before the date.

Sivasagar, the former capital of the Ahom kingdom, is dotted with large tanks, ponds and historic water channels built during Ahom rule, many of which have faced pressure from encroachment and urban growth.

NEInsider will update this story if the administration responds or if the bandh call is changed.