Ulfa bandh affects normal life in Brahmaputra valley

The 12-hour Assam bandh called by the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa) to protest the alleged abduction of its two senior leaders by Indian security forces affected normal life in the Brahmaputra valley of the state today.

Markets, shops, educational institutions, offices and banks were closed in the Brahmaputra valley of the state while private vehicles and buses were off the roads, official sources said.

There has been no report of any untoward incident till noon, they said.

Air and rail services, however, operated as per schedule and a skeleton government bus service plied.

The Indian and Australian teams who played the one-day international match in Guwahati yesterday were today safely escorted to the Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport for their outward journey, the sources said.

Attendance in the State Secretariat and the district deputy commissioners offices and other government offices was thin, the sources said.

There was no impact of the bandh in the Barak valley and two hill districts of Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills districts, the sources added.

The Ulfa had alleged that its self styled foreign secretary Sasha Choudhury and finance secretar Chitrabon Hazarika were abducted by Indian security forces.