GUWAHATI, Dec 21 ? The 48-hour Assam, Bodoland and Kamatapur bandh, the call for which was given jointly by ULFA, NDFB and KLO in protest against the Bhutan Government offensive against them, continued to evoke mixed response for the second day today. No untoward bandh related incident was reported from any part of Assam till the time of filing of this report. In Guwahati, the bandh continued to evoke mixed response as private vehicles continued to ply on the roads, while a few auto rickshaws also plied on the city roads. However, only a few city buses plied on the roads. The train and air services were normal . Today being a Sunday, all the offices and shops remained closed.
Meanwhile, the North East Students? Organisation (NESO) today said that the Central Government should initiate steps for talks with the ULFA and NDFB for permanent solution of the problems instead of trying to solve the problem through bullets. If the NESO can hold talks with the militant outfits like BLT and NSCN, the same methods should be used to hold political dialogue with the ULFA and NDFB, the NESO said.
In a release here today, Samujjal Bhattacharya and NSN Lotha, the chairman and general secretary respectively of the NESO also appealed to the militant outfits to come forward for talks for political solution of the problems. The NESO expressed concern at the killing of women and children in the Bhutan Government offensive against the militants and called upon the Government of Bhutan to stop the killing and solve the problem through talks. The NESO also called upon the Bhutan Government to hand over the bodies of all those killed to their relatives.
The NESO made it clear that it never supports secessionism and militancy. But at the same time, the NESO cannot support killing of women and children. The NESO also expressed the view that in the interest of maintaining the age old bond of unity among the people of Bhutan and North East India, the Government of Bhutan should shop killings and solve the disputes through talks.