By IANS,
Guwahati : A dawn-to-dusk general strike enforced by two separatist groups Thursday paralyzed normal life in India’s northeastern state of Assam.
The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) called the 12-hour strike to protest the killings of a large number of rebels by security forces, claiming they were ‘custodial deaths’.
The strike that began at 5 a.m. was also supported by the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB).
Shops and businesses, and financial and educational institutions remained closed, while public transport remained off the roads.
“There are no reports of any untoward incidents so far,” a police spokesperson said.
Security forces in the past three months have killed up to 50 militants belonging to the ULFA, NDFB, and the Dima Halam Daogah (DHD) in the state.
The maximum casualties were suffered by the NDFB – at least 35 of them killed – followed by the DHD.