By IANS
Ranchi : Life was affected in Jharkhand following a general strike called by various political parties and tribal organisations to protest violent clashes during a tribal rally in Assam last week in which one person was killed.
Schools and colleges as well as private and government institutions were closed due to the strike. Buses plying on long-distance routes remained off roads and railway services were disrupted in Ranchi, Dhnabad and at other places.
Normal life was affected in Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Bokaro and Dumka districts.
Around 500 workers of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) and many tribal organizations were arrested here when they were enforcing the shutdown. Over 300 supporters of the strike were arrested in Jamshedpur.
On Saturday, a march taken out by tribal people to press their demand for the Scheduled Tribe status had turned violent after clashes between them and residents of Guwahati, Assam’s main city. While officials said one person had died, unofficial reports put the toll at five.
“Tribals are living in Assam for more than 100 years and working in tea gardens. I visited Assam Sunday and found that the situation was horrible. The administration was trying to hush up the case,” said former chief minister and BJP leader Arjun Munda.
“There were hardly any facilities for treating the injured tribal people. More than 20 tribal youths are missing after the violence,” he added.
A team constituted by the Jharkhand government also visited Assam. The team, headed by JMM chief Shibu Soren, met the Assam governor and demanded security of the tribals in the state.