Nine organisations in Assam called a bandh in Dhemaji district on Wednesday over the firing incident at Mingmang Basti, with the shutdown beginning at 6 am and having a widespread impact across the district.
Five of the organisations — TMPK, AJYCP, KMSS, Bir Lachit Sena and TAIPA — called a 12-hour bandh. TMPK separately imposed an economic blockade against Arunachal Pradesh, declaring it indefinite from 6 am on Wednesday. All vehicles travelling through Assam to Arunachal Pradesh are restricted under the blockade.
The bandh and blockade follow a firing incident at Mingmang Basti in Dhemaji district on August 10, in which at least 18 people from Assam were injured, four of them critically, during a confrontation linked to an alleged encroachment dispute along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border. The identities of those who opened fire have not been established.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the incident had been brought under control and that Assam's chief secretary and Director General of Police were coordinating with their Arunachal Pradesh counterparts. He also directed the Assam Police that the state should not lose any land.
The Assam-Arunachal Pradesh boundary has remained a long-running dispute between the two states, who signed an agreement in April 2023 aimed at resolving claims over 123 disputed villages, following the 2022 Namsai Declaration.
